Will of Foxfire
by Quill of Molliemon
Summary: AU, no bijuu, follows "Fox Moon". Naruto has secrets and Sasuke wants to please his father. Oh, and there's Orochimaru, plotting Kitsune, unfortunate werewolves, assorted demons, mysterious elders, simmering tensions, attempted murder, unhappy mothers...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto—if I did, I'd be rich—I'm just borrowing the characters for a while, and I'm making no money in doing so. So please don't sue.

**Notes:** Very AU, pre-timeskip, no bijuu (therefore a Kyuubi-less Naruto), no Uchiha massacre, follows "Fox Moon"…

I hope that you enjoy it!

* * *

**Prologue**

Haku hated killing. Had his circumstances not been so unfortunate, he might've led a nearly ordinary civilian life. But he had been born with the power to create ice (a _kekkei genkai_—an unforgivable sin in Kiri) and so in order to survive he had little choice to become a killer.

The effeminate boy sat in the pocket dimension behind the panes of his demonic ice mirrors and unhappily studied his next victims in between volleys senbon needles—both those made of metal and those he generated from his own ice. Two boys, young hunters of the Leaf, sat trapped in his dome of ice. Their squad had the misfortune to get between Zabuza-sama and his latest contract: Tazuna the bridge-builder.

His master, Momochi Zabuza of the infamous Seven Swordsmen, had once been a feared and respected slayer of demons of Kirigakure no Sato. But Zabuza-sama had tried to depose the Mizukage…and failed. That left Zabuza-sama a fugitive on the run from everyone and that worked as a mercenary to try and gain the funds needed for a second coup attempt.

Momochi Zabuza was a monster, a lover of murder and blood, but Haku would follow him to hell and back. Zabuza-sama had saved him from the streets when no one else would and taught him the secrets of ninja magic. The swordsman owned his life and Haku was his grateful tool. Whatever Zabuza-sama wanted, Haku would do, no matter how terrible.

Now two boys not much younger than Haku would have to die…

…Or did they?

If he could use his precise needle skill to place them in a state of false death they would be taken out of the fight. Then he could do the same for their female comrade, who was charged with defending the bridge-builder. And then he could slay the old drunkard while Zabuza-sama kept the dangerous copycat Hatake Kakashi busy, and the contract would be fulfilled. They would be paid, and they could leave in search of the next ugly job.

It was the perfect solution, he thought, as he riddled the Uchiha boy's body with needles in dozens of important pressure points. The dark-haired boy was of the Uchiha clan, and killing him would draw the wrath of the Sharingan upon them. And Haku had a fondness for the blond boy after having met him off the battlefield; he had the sense that Naruto was a lot like him—one who hid a secret shame.

Although, as Konoha treasured those with _kekkei genkai_ unlike Kiri, it was impossible for Haku to guess what Naruto's secret was.

Haku's needles hit their marks and he watched impassively in the shelter of his ice mirrors as the Uchiha crumpled and appeared to die. He tried to warn Naruto away from continuing the fight. Even though he wouldn't kill the boy, the needles would still hurt him and it would take a while for him to fully recover—

Something about Naruto abruptly changed. The clumsy boy who was frightened but determined to do anything to help was replaced with a boy who had a…feral air about him. His stance changed, wisps of chakra seemed to ooze from his skin, the odd whisker-like marks on his face darkened and spread into black stripes, his fingernails and toenails seemed to have turned into claws, his lips peeled back in a snarl and revealed canine teeth so long they were fangs, and then he opened his eyes and glared at Haku with cat-like pupils and blue irises that were bleeding into red.

With an animalistic roar, Naruto charged, his clawed hands shrouded in blue flames—

_What?_

Haku was forced to dodge to another mirror as the boy slammed his fist into the one that Haku had previously hidden in…and cracked it. The ice-user tried to cripple Naruto with more senbon needles but the feral child was much faster and much more agile than before. The blond moved like a demon trapped in a human's skin.

_This boy…_

Then Naruto shattered one of his mirrors—something that his Uchiha comrade hadn't even come close to doing. And then he did it again, and again, and again. With his mirrors a failure and with his chakra stores steadily draining Haku released his hold on them as he dove back into the real world in a bodily attack on Naruto's back—

His feral foe whirled around and caught Haku by the wrists, squeezing them and digging his claws through the fabric of Haku's kimono-like sleeves while the blue fire seared his skin. Lashing out with his foot Haku was able to free one of his hands long enough to form the one-handed hand seals that generated ice needles. The ice weapons turned the wild boy into a pincushion which allowed Haku to break loose and get a little distance.

_…Who is he?_

The ice needles didn't buy him the time that he thought they would. Naruto shook them off in a shower of half-melted ice shards and then was on Haku again. The demonic boy darted in again and again, slamming Haku with punches and slashing at him with his claws.

_…What is he?_

And then with one final punch he shattered Haku's porcelain mask.

_Is this his secret shame?_

Naruto's demonic red eyes went from furious, to confused…and betrayed.

"Haku?"


	2. Moon Jitters

**Chapter 1**

_Moon Jitters_

Naruto sat by the fireplace and fidgeted. They were still in the Land of Waves. Kakashi-sensei predicted that it would be at least a week until Sasuke had healed enough from being turned into a human pincushion for them to hit the road back to Konoha.

That was too long.

The blond boy stubbornly kept his back to the window. It didn't matter that the night sky was overcast with a thick blanket of clouds, the moon was still full. His body knew it, and every nerve vibrated like he was high on caffeine. If the clouds parted and he looked, he was beyond screwed.

_"…If you let anyone see what you are, __**they**__ will kill you…"_

Naruto shivered at the distant memory of his grandfather's cold words. Grandfather was right, too; especially now. He was stuck in a civilian's house with demon-hunting ninja. If he changed, he'd be killed.

_This sucks so bad!_

This mission wasn't supposed to have lasted so long. But Tazuna had lied and Naruto had been stupid enough to push for them to go forward anyway. And then Zabuza and Haku had gotten involved, Kakashi-sensei had been hurt, they'd done tree-climbing-training, there had been another fight that had resulted in the mission being a success (and Haku and Zabuza dying along with Gatou, the evil businessman)…but Sasuke was hurt so they were stuck.

And Naruto was screwed.

One unlucky glance and everything would be undone. Even if he was able to get away with his life, he'd never be able to go back to Konoha—the first stable home he'd had in forever. He'd lose his best opportunity to get stronger.

It had been a secret dream of his to grow powerful—powerful enough to find his mother and rescue her from her family so that they could be together again. The first night in his first foster home he'd wept into his new pillow (which hadn't been his for long) and swore that he'd find a way to make this dream come true. His unfriendly relatives were immensely powerful in his child-mind and for a while this dream of his seemed imposable to reach. But Konohagakure no Sato and its Academy had given him real hope.

His dream became a plan. He would get stronger (having Uchiha Sasuke as a rival would help greatly towards this goal), then he would find his mother (somehow), he would bust her out (somehow), and then bring her to Konoha to live with him. She'd lived away from her family before (it was how she'd met his father) so it shouldn't be a problem for her to do it again. She knew how to hide in plain sight; she'd shown him the necklace that allowed her to do it.

"Can I get you anything else dear?"

Naruto flinched slightly and glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Tsunami, the bridge-builder's daughter, fussing over Sasuke again. The Uchiha boy was laid out in a traditional futon bed on the floor of the room with squares of gauze taped over the numerous puncture wounds left by Haku's battle needles. Sasuke was clearly irritated by the woman's (and Sakura's) hovering, but he did his best to remain polite and uphold the respectable, squeaky-clean reputation of his clan.

"No thank you, Tsunami-san. I think I'll go to sleep now."

"Alright," the dark-haired woman said with a kind smile. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to speak up."

Tsunami left and Sakura, who had been in the kitchen washing the dishes, took her place.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't much help," the pink-haired girl apologized quietly, wringing her hands. "I'll do better next time, Sasuke-kun, I swear!"

"I'm going to sleep now," Sasuke grunted and stiffly rolled over.

Sakura sighed and went about setting up the futons for the rest of Team Seven.

Naruto frowned, but remained by the fireplace and fidgeted. Sakura was nice (to other people, especially her Sasuke-kun), very smart, and pretty. She was also something of an outsider in the ninja hunter community as her family never worked in the field and instead stuck to working in the Tower or the hospital, so she and Naruto sort of had something in common. If he could persuade Sakura to be his girlfriend, he would be further entrenched in Konoha—he would belong more. Even though he'd stayed in Konoha for just over two years the fear that he'd be uprooted again still lingered, and he was always looking for things and people that would tie him down to one place so he wouldn't move anymore.

_I don't see why Sasuke's always such a jerk to her,_ Naruto grumped as he struggled to ignore the crawling sensation that had spread under his skin. _He could have been stuck with worse fangirls…like Ino…or what's-her-face. Sakura-chan isn't all touchy-feely like them; she just wants to make him happy._

But Sasuke was an Uchiha. That meant that he only enjoyed hanging out with other Uchiha and he would probably marry a distant cousin that was chosen for him. The Uchiha clan was a pack of powerful snobs—worse than even the Hyuuga, Naruto had heard Ino's dad complain once—that only truly respected each other. They felt that they were the elite of the village and expected to be treated as such.

Naruto thought they were a bunch of cheap cheaters. With their eyes able to copy jutsu, they didn't have to work half as hard as non-Uchiha did to advance themselves. The Sharingan made them lazy, and that laziness didn't hurt them because their eyes were so powerful.

"Do I have to go to bed, mom?" Inari, Tazuna's grandson, asked with a whine. "I'm not"—he yawned widely—"tired at all."

"It's late Inari," Tsunami scolded. "And our guests need their rest. Now come along up to bed."

"But I wanted to look at the moon!" Inari complained, but Naruto could still hear his small feet going up the stairs. "I love looking at the full moon…"

_Well I hate it!_ Naruto thought sourly as he fought down a shudder and stared into the fire. _Why can't the stupid moon skip being full?_

"Good night, everyone," Tsunami said to them. "I will see you in the morning."

And then she joined her young son upstairs. Tazuna was already up there, probably sleeping after a hard day repairing the damage to his bridge and completing its construction. That left Team Seven in the ground floor by themselves.

"Are you sure we shouldn't set up a watch schedule, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I've set up wards all around the property," Kakashi assured her. "If anything tries to intrude, I'll know. There's no need for you to stay up all night on guard."

"Alright." Sakura started to get into her bed, but hesitated. "Naruto, what are you doing over there?"

Naruto flinched, as if he hadn't been listening to anything going on around him. "Eh? Oh, I was just thinking about how everyone's gonna be so jealous of us when we get back!" he replied with a broad grin and his hands laced together behind his head.

"Naruto," the girl groaned. "Is that all you care about?"

He kept up his cheesy grin and shrugged at her.

The girl scoffed at him and settled under her sheets. "Go to bed, Naruto."

"Okay!" Naruto agreed, hopped up from his seat by the fire, and strolled over to the third futon as he peeled his orange jacket off—all while keeping his gaze stubbornly away from the nearby window. "Good night Sakura-chan! Good night Kakashi-sensei! Good night Bastard!"

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed angrily.

"Good night," Kakashi replied.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

And then the room became quiet, save for the crackling of the fire and the occasional turn of the page in their sensei's beloved book.

Naruto tried to lay as still as possible underneath his sheets. He wasn't going to sleep, not with the full moon lurking behind the clouds. But he had to fake it, because there was no real reason why a young ninja like him couldn't get to sleep.

As he tried to fake sleeping, he traced his fingers along the white swirl stitched to the shoulder of his jacket. He'd made it himself out of leather, rope, glue, and wood in a craft class he'd taken while living in one of the nicer homes. It was based off the symbol he'd always seen all over everything when he'd lived with his mother.

The symbol of the family that had disowned him.

It was cheap, handmade thing that probably wasn't all that accurate, so hopefully he wouldn't get in trouble.

Hopefully.

He laid there for what felt like hours, but was only minutes. His skin itched and his nerves twitched. He wanted to get up and run out of the house, strip off his clothes, and trigger the change himself if the moon still wasn't visible. It was always much easier to bear the force of the full moon as an animal than if he tried to stay human.

But tonight he couldn't give in.

He didn't dare.

To distract himself, he thought about Haku. The odd, effeminate boy from Kiri was strange—had been strange. His devotion to Zabuza had been as sick as it had been undeniable, and Naruto could sort of understand it. Naruto was sad that he was dead.

_That blue fire…_ Naruto stared at his hand illuminated by the red glow of the fire. _I did it again._

The first time had been against Mizuki, when his Academy instructor and guardian at the time had manipulated him into stealing a special scroll. He'd learned a technique from it as the traitor had instructed him to, but had been drained by it. And then Mizuki had tried to kill him (and Iruka). Naruto had tried to use the new technique—the _kage bunshin no jutsu_—but the clone he'd managed to generate hadn't lasted long. With Iruka hurt, and Naruto separated from him, he'd managed a partial transformation against Mizuki and cast a few brief flares of blue flame. The silver-haired traitor had been so startled by Naruto's power that the boy had been able to knock him out before fainting in exhaustion himself.

_"What sort of freak are you?"_

Even though he'd never cared much for Mizuki, it still stung to hear the words and see the fearful disgust on his face. And for weeks after the incident, there'd been the fear. What if Mizuki told the ANBU about what he'd seen, and the ANBU came for him—to find out what he was. But it hadn't happened, so if he'd told them they hadn't believed him…

…Maybe.

Naruto pressed his face into his pillow and shivered.

_I wish it was morning already…_

_

* * *

_

Kakashi waited about an hour before closing his book. By that time both Sakura and Sasuke were asleep and the fire in the fireplace was nearly burned out. But Naruto was still awake, although he was certainly trying to look like he was asleep. His breathing wasn't even enough and he was fidgeting too much for it to be convincing.

The silver-haired man walked up to the blond boy and nudged him with his foot. "Can't sleep?"

Naruto flinched, but kept on with his charade.

"I know you're not asleep," Kakashi sighed quietly. "Let's go talk in the kitchen."

It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order, and Naruto picked up on it quick. He crawled out of his bed, tucked his jacket under his arm, and followed Kakashi into the kitchen so that their conversation wouldn't disturb Sakura and Sasuke's sleep. The boy kept his gaze glued to the floorboards, and when he sat down at the kitchen table he transferred his gaze to the tabletop.

He sat across from Naruto and took a few minutes to study the boy while he fidgeted. Kakashi hadn't paid much attention to Naruto at first; everything about the boy reminded him of something or someone he'd rather not remember. The kid was a mysterious contradiction, though, and quite against his will the jounin found himself sucked in by this enigma.

Naruto appeared to be a total clown, always loud and silly and clumsy. And yet he was a hard worker; a driven kid who had managed to master the _kage bunshin _technique, something normally restricted to advanced chuunin and jounin. A dedicated goof-off wouldn't work half as hard as Naruto did.

The boy's lack of clear skill made him look weak, but he had power. The fact that he could use the _kage Bunshin_, even in a limited capacity, was proof of his raw chakra potential. And his ability to best Mizuki, who had been older and more experienced, and Haku who had been extremely talented and gifted with a dangerous _kekkei genkai_, only reinforced his strength.

_Where does this strength come from, _Kakashi wondered as he slouched in his chair while Naruto continually fidgeted. _Is it a natural or unnatural consequence of his lineage…?_

Kakashi's dark eye landed on Naruto's jacket, which was hanging off the wooden chair arm. It's bright colors overwhelmed its details, but the jounin still noticed the white spiral patch on the shoulder. He remembered the same symbol attached to everything that woman had worn…

"So, you don't remember your original family name?" the jounin asked.

The boy's tapping fingers stilled briefly. He clearly hadn't expected this question. But then his fingers went back to tapping on the tabletop and his legs swung underneath the table. It was like he was physically incapable of sitting still.

"Nope," he shrugged, still staring downwards. "I don't remember it."

"The name Uzumaki means nothing to you?"

Naruto visibly flinched and it looked like he stopped breathing for a minute, but then he shrugged it off.

"No, why would it?"

Kakashi's eyebrow went up. "So, you were disowned, then…"

His student jumped again, and even briefly looked up from the table before immediately dropping his eyes again. "…Maybe."

"So it was your mother who put you in the foster system?" the jounin inquired.

"No," the boy hissed and glared up at his teacher…_with vertically slitted pupils_. "My mom loved me. It was everyone else who wanted me gone."

Kakashi kept his posture relaxed, but he was anything but. Werewolves didn't have eyes like that. Was he completely wrong about this boy's bloodline?

"And they wanted you gone because…?"

"Because—"

Naruto abruptly cut himself off. He sat in his chair, panting and revealing that his teeth had elongated. The fury in him shifted to fear.

"I can't say," he whispered. "I can't talk about any of it. It's not safe. They'll find out that I told, and they'll hurt anyone they have to so they can kill me."

The Hatake line produced many fine hunters with noses that rivaled the Inuzuka clan (which lead to the occasional marriage every generation or so) and Kakashi had no trouble smelling the stench of fear that rolled off his student in waves; an ordinary person could've probably smelled it.

"I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me." Naruto sniffled and ducked his head to hide the watering of his eyes. "Mom got hurt enough trying to keep me safe."

Kakashi frowned deeply behind his mask. Talking with Naruto had only multiplied his questions exponentially, and he didn't dare press the boy any further tonight. If the boy snapped or panicked and lashed out, he could be very, very dangerous.

"Naruto," he said after giving the boy a few minutes to calm down. "Why did you join Hokage-sama's forces as a demon-hunter? Just because you were found to have great chakra potential didn't mean that you had to enroll in the Academy."

"…I want to be stronger," the boy answered, and when he looked up his eyes looked perfectly human. "Mom wanted me to get strong enough to survive. I want to be stronger than that. I want to be able to protect her, and anybody else I like."

The jounin carefully weighed this answer before crinkling his visible eye into a smile for his student.

"An ambitious goal," the silver-haired man said. "I hope I am one of those people that you like."

"I suppose," Naruto shrugged. "I wish you weren't always so…late…"

The blond boy fell silent as a silver rectangle of moonlight appeared on the tabletop. Kakashi turned to the kitchen window to see that the clouds had parted, allowing the full moon to appear and shine brightly. When he looked back at Naruto, the boy had his head twisted away from the window and looked to be well on his way to hyperventilation.

"I'll go close all the drapes," Kakashi said and gripped the boy's shoulder in a brief comforting gesture before walking away to block off all the windows. "Go get some sleep."

Naruto scampered out of the kitchen without a word.

As Kakashi went about sealing away all the moonlight on the ground floor, he wondered if he was making the same mistake that Jiraiya-sama had.

_When we return to Konoha, I need to have a long talk with Hokage-sama…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto quivered under the sheets of his futon. The moon jitters were forgotten and consumed by fear and confusion. It seemed like the crazy luck that had kept him from getting found out in Konoha was finally starting to run dry.

Kakashi-sensei was suspicious of him. His jounin-sensei might've even seen something when he'd gotten angry over the insult against his mother (with the full moon looming it was near impossible to not change a little bit when he got upset). The masked man even seemed to know some things already.

_How did he know that name?_

_ Why would he offer to close all the drapes for me?_

_ If he knows…why didn't he kill me?_

He wanted to get up and ask Kakashi-sensei, but he was deathly afraid.

_"…If you let anyone see what you are, __**they**__ will kill you…"_

Naruto sniffled into his pillow, trying not to cry because he was twelve and way too old to be crying like a baby…but he was terrified.

_Mommy, what do I do?_


	3. Hidden in the Leaves

**Chapter 2**

_Hidden in the Leaves_

If they weren't so close to returning to the village, Sakura would've been tempted to complain about how her legs felt like jelly. Just because she had excellent chakra control didn't mean she could keep up with boys who had much bigger reserves when they traveled by tree branch. But they were close enough to get out of the trees and walk along the dirt road that led to the massive village gates and she could last long enough to get to the Tower, get paid, and go home.

_Almost home,_ she chanted to herself. _Almost home, almost home, almost home…_

Her parents would be so proud of her. And glad that she'd come back in one piece. Hopefully they wouldn't get too mad when they heard about her upgraded C-rank. Or…maybe she'd leave out a few things.

A dip in the road made her stumble, but she managed not to fall. Glancing around in embarrassment, she found Kakashi-sensei in the lead with his nose predictably buried in his book, Sasuke-kun was right behind him, and Naruto was trailing behind her. When the blond boy failed to chat her up or even ask if she was alright, she frowned.

Ever since the final fight on the bridge, Naruto had been weird (well, _weirder_). He'd been unusually quiet, distracted, and subdued. When he did act cheerful and gregarious it was just that: an act. His stupid grins were strained and his laughs held a false edge to them. And whenever he hung around Kakashi-sensei he seemed tense like a hunted rabbit.

At first she thought it was because of that boy, Haku. Apparently Naruto had encountered the Kiri boy in-between their clashes with Zabuza and he'd had a few conversations with the rogue's apprentice. But that didn't explain why her teammate was so nervous when their laid-back sensei was nearby.

_What's wrong with him?_

As annoying and irritating as Naruto was, he was still a part of their team. Sakura hated to admit it, but he was useful even though he was as dense as a brick. He was strong, a good physical back-up for Sasuke. If he was only halfway serious about his boasts of becoming the strongest hunter in the village, he had the potential to be a real asset to their team, or any future team he became a part of.

So she worried about him.

A little bit.

Sakura almost turned back to her trailing teammate to ask him what was wrong—

"Here we are."

At Kakashi-sensei's words, she focused her attention forward and saw the village gates coming into view through the dense trees. The towering double doors were decorated with the white swirled leaf—the symbol of Konohagakure no Sato that they wore on their hitai-ate. They were set into a massive wall that surrounded all but the training fields of Konoha and contained seal wards that kept the vast majority of demons out. Next to the capital of Fire Country and the Fire Temple, it was the safest and most demon-proof place in the whole land.

The pink-haired girl smiled and mustered her strength to pick up the pace. Home was within sight and within reach. And when she got there, Ino-pig would be so jealous.

_Sasuke-kun was so brave and amazing!_ The Haruno girl sighed dreamily as she recalled how he'd kept his cool when he'd tangled with the mercenary Oni Brothers and how he'd somehow overcome Zabuza's dense mist and Haku's deadly ice mirrors to come out alive. _Ino-pig will be so pissed that she missed it!_

Naruto's odd behavior was completely forgotten.

* * *

Sasuke hid his nerves by burying his fists into his pockets as he entered the Uchiha District. As he walked under the arch bearing the red and white _uchiwa_ fan and through the walls that sealed his clan's territory off from the rest of the village he felt the invisible weight on his shoulders increase. Distant relations of his waved and greeted his return, but he barely noticed them. He was both dreading and anticipating what would happen when he reached his house.

His mother would probably be there. But would his father be home? Or his brother?

And how would his family take his report of his first mission outside the village walls?

The fact that he had awakened his Sharingan counted in his favor. And the unexpected upgrade of his mission from C-rank to A-rank would also help. But the fact that he had almost died and _needed saving_…that counted against him.

The Uchiha were the elite of the village. The only help they should ever need was from another Uchiha. To be saved by the village idiot was inexcusable.

_Naruto…_ Sasuke grimaced. _How did he beat Haku? How did he do it?_

He had no idea; he'd been unconscious and locked into a state of false death when it had happened. Their sensei hadn't seen it as he was locked into his own battle with Zabuza. And Sakura hadn't seen anything due to the dense mist and the dome formed by Haku's ice mirrors. When Sasuke had asked Naruto directly about what had happened, the blond had given him a vague answer that had involved _kage bunshins_.

Sasuke strongly suspected that that was a lie. Naruto couldn't make many of those at a time and the chakra constructs were fragile and would be easily and swiftly destroyed by the Kiri boy's needles. So the question remained: How had Naruto defeated Haku?

"Sasuke, you're home!"

He looked up and found that he was on his own front doorstep and his mother, Uchiha Mikoto, was coming out the door to embrace him.

"_Tadaima,_" Sasuke sighed as his mother went about her motherly duties of embarrassing him.

"You were gone so long I was started to worry," she fussed and checked him over. She frowned slightly at the numerous tiny tears she noticed in his clothing. "What happened?"

"The client lied about his situation," he replied.

"Oh dear," his mother murmured in concern. "Come inside," she said, taking his backpack from him, "and tell us all about it."

In the kitchen he found his father and older brother sipping at cups of tea. They must've just finished a training session as he could see hints of perspiration on their skin. Sasuke felt himself start to sweat for a different reason as his mother poured him his own cup of tea and his father gestured for him to speak.

Sasuke faithfully told them all about his mission, just as his team had reported it to the Hokage barely a half an hour earlier. He told them about Tazuna's lie, the Oni Brothers attack, Zabuza's first strike, tree-climbing training, and then the battle on the bridge. His narrative was only interrupted once when he reached the part where he had awakened the power of his eyes, and his mother gushed over them when he showed his new Sharingan off. Throughout his report, his father's face was completely impassive, giving no clue to what he thought. When Sasuke finished, he sat back in his chair and waited for his father's judgment.

"Thank goodness everything turned out alright," his mother said, wringing her hands a bit. She was probably still upset over the knowledge that her baby had been turned into a pincushion. "Your sensei really should've aborted this mission. You tell him I said that," she added sternly.

"I will," Sasuke promised, distracted by his father's continuing silence.

His father, Uchiha Fugaku, stayed quiet for another few minutes, which felt like hours to Sasuke, before finally speaking.

"So, you required a teammate to defend you?"

"If he hadn't interfered I believe I would have been able to defeat the Kiri-nin," Sasuke answered. "My teammate's presence divided my attention, and his lack of skill and unpredictable behavior greatly reduced my effectiveness."

It would have worked out so much better if Naruto had just stayed in Tazuna's house after sleeping in that morning. Or if he'd just stayed with Sakura to defend Tazuna things would've gone better. But no, the idiot just had to throw himself through the last crack in Haku's mirror dome and constantly get himself in the way…

"And your teammate claims that he used the _kage bunshin no jutsu_ to defeat the Kiri-nin?"

"That is what he claimed," Sasuke nodded.

"You don't believe that."

"It seems unlikely to me that he used that technique as he claimed," Sasuke explained. "He could not describe the strategy he used against the Kiri-nin with any detail to anyone, not even the Hokage, and he could not demonstrate what he did either. Being unconscious at the time I can't say what he did or did not do. Due to the mist technique and the ice mirror, no one else could see what he did either."

His father thought this over for a minute and then turned to Itachi.

"Research this boy. I want a full background check done on him and his lineage through his great-grandparents."

"Yes, father," Itachi nodded.

And then his father finished his tea and got up from the table.

"I'm going back to the office," he announced and left the kitchen. "I may be late for dinner."

The office was the headquarters of the Military Police, a security force led by and mainly comprised of Uchiha clan members. They looked into whatever crime happened in the village from petty crimes like shoplifting and vandalism to the rarer more serious crimes like murder. The Military Police was an important organization, and one that had been around since shortly after the formation of Konohagakure no Sato.

Sasuke's father was the Chief of the Military Police as well as the head of the whole Uchiha clan.

"You did a good job, Sasuke," his older brother said as he finished off his hot drink and left to work on his new little assignment. "Keep working at it."

"I still think your sensei should've aborted the mission," his mother said. "But you did very well, especially against such dangerous foes. I was a chuunin before I faced down my first rogue demon-hunter."

"I'm going to go take a shower," Sasuke said and abandoned his unfinished tea.

"Okay, dinner will be in a few hours!" his mother called after him.

He barely heard her as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.

His brother had praised him. His mother had praised him. But his father hadn't.

That spoke volumes.

_I need to train twice as hard,_ he thought as he prepared for his shower. _I can never be rescued like that again._

_

* * *

_

Naruto felt like he was going to puke. He'd made it out of the Land of Waves without any other freaky conversations with Kakashi-sensei. He'd managed to lie to the Hokage about the way he'd won a fight for the second time. He'd made it out of the Hokage's office and back to Iruka's apartment. And he'd started to think that his luck had held, that Kakashi-sensei had forgotten about the full moon chat, or that it hadn't even happened at all and he'd just hallucinated the whole thing.

But then, just after Iruka had brought him back from Ichiraku's and their celebratory dinner that commemorated his first successful real mission (D-ranks didn't count), Kakashi-sensei had showed up. His silver-haired teacher had been cheerful and casual like he usually was and told them that the Hokage wished to speak with Naruto. And so here they were, Kakashi-sensei leading Iruka and himself towards the Hokage Tower complex, and Naruto was going to puke up all the wondrous Ichiraku noodles that he'd consumed.

"Are you sure you can't tell us what this is about?" Iruka asked for the fifth time.

"You'll see when we get there," Kakashi-sensei said casually, his nose planted in his little orange book.

Naruto didn't want to see when he got there. He wanted to flee, because he knew it would be bad. But where could he flee to? Should he run to Ookami-jiji (or turn on him in the hopes that it would save his skin)? How could he flee with Iruka, a chuunin, and Kakashi-sensei, a jounin, nearby? What could he do?

"He didn't cause any trouble while he was out of the village, did he?" Iruka asked worriedly.

"No, no," the jounin chuckled. "He did well, all things considered."

Fear made Naruto's hands slimy and his limbs twitchy. Ever since he'd earned his hitai-ate from Iruka it had become harder and harder to hide his wretched secret. It wore on his nerves and made it so much harder for him to act normally. It felt like a string of silver-edged kunai were dangling over his head now, ready to fall on him at any second.

"If he didn't cause any trouble, why is he being called back so soon after returning from a mission?"

"You'll see when we get there," Kakashi-sensei repeated patiently.

Even though his jounin mentor was acting like this was no big deal, Naruto knew that it was. He could feel it crawling under his skin and worming into his bones. He was in trouble one way or the other, and Kakashi-sensei was just being all normal to try and keep him calm…which only made it worse.

"Relax, Naruto," Kakashi-sensei advised as they entered the Tower and started up the stairs to the Hokage's office. "Nothing bad is going to happen."

_Liar!_ Naruto wanted to yell, just like all the times he and Sakura-chan would yell it whenever he gave his ridiculous excuses for being late. _Liar, liar, liar!_

And then there were in the Hokage's office. It was a fairly large room with a half circle of windows arrayed behind a massive wooden desk. The desk was cluttered with stacks of paperwork and a few odd scrolls here and there. And behind the desk sat Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

When Naruto had first met him after he'd been tested for chakra potential, he hadn't recognized him as someone who was important. He was a kind, smiling old man who was friendly, like a grandfather. All the other adults he'd met that were in positions of authorities were mean, sour-faced, unpleasant people like social workers, teachers, principals, and so on. And since he hadn't imagined the nice old man was anyone important like this Hokage guy was supposed to be, that first day he'd asked him when the Hokage was going to show up. Hokage-sama had been amused…and then insulted when Naruto had refused to believe him that _he_ was the Hokage.

"Good evening, Naruto," the old man greeted with a friendly twinkle in his eye. "And welcome, Iruka." He took his pipe from his mouth and gestured towards some chairs placed in front of his desk. "Please, sit down and relax."

"What is this all about, if you don't mind my asking?" Iruka politely inquired as he took one of the chairs.

Naruto slunk into the chair next to Iruka and stared at his clasped hands, too freaked out to look anywhere else, and Kakashi-sensei took the final chair on the other side on him.

"I just have a few questions to ask Naruto," the Hokage answered and shuffled through a few things on his desk. "It should all be quite painless. Now, Naruto, do you recognize this person?"

The old man pulled a photograph out of a file and turned it so he could see—

It was all Naruto could do to not leap out of his chair and snatch the picture from the Hokage's fingers. Being barely five when he'd been cast out, Naruto's memory of his mother's face was starting to fade. To see a picture of her again—smiling a flashing a peace sign…

He wanted it.

Badly.

"…No," he lied and tore his stare away from the image with great effort. "She's pretty though. Who is she?"

The Hokage looked at him with disappointed eyes, as if he knew that Naruto was lying…and maybe he did.

"This is Uzumaki Kushina, she is a demon-hunter of Uzugakure no Sato—a small hunter village on the shores of Uzu no Kuni, the Land of Whirlpools. She lived among us for several years as a liaison, a ninja-on-loan almost, and a sign of the alliance between our two villages. When she finally elected to return home, a little over twelve years ago, she was pregnant."

"Why are you asking him about this woman?" Iruka wondered. "Do you…think she's his mother? He really doesn't look anything like her."

"We are certain," the old man said, making Naruto flinch and sweat harder. "That white swirl symbol Naruto has on his jacket closely resembles her clan symbol." The Hokage pulled out a different picture from the file—an image of a white spiral on a field of black—as proof of it. "And while he has little resemblance to Uzumaki Kushina, he bears an uncanny resemblance to her boyfriend."

The photograph that the old man showed him was of a man that Naruto had truly never seen before. He was handsome and friendly-looking with sparkling blue eyes and dandelion-yellow hair. Perhaps when Naruto grew up he'd look sort of like this—

This was his mother's boyfriend.

This was the root of all of his suffering.

This was his _father_.

A lump of ice formed in the pit of his stomach and he wanted to set the photograph on fire.

"That's…" Iruka paused and Naruto watched as he squinted at the picture. "Isn't that…?" And then shocked horror danced over the chuunin's scarred face. "Isn't he the werewolf?"

Naruto was startled that Iruka knew that. But when he peeked at the picture again he spied the hitai-ate the man was wearing and realized that he had been a demon-hunter ninja of Konoha. When he became a werewolf, everybody would've heard about it. And if it got out that this was his father, then everyone would know…

He paled and felt light-headed, sick. Looking back at Iruka, he saw worry, _suspicion_. Dread pressed down on him as panic tried to force him up out of his chair.

What sort of evil bad luck had landed him in this place? This place where both of his parents were known, where he could never keep his secret forever. Why couldn't he have ended up in some other demon-hunting village, like Kumo (Kumo was nice, wasn't it?)? Any other village wouldn't have known either of them, wouldn't have cared.

A heavy hand grasped Naruto's shoulder and he spun wildly to see Kakashi-sensei's masked face gazing down at him, unreadable.

"Naruto. Relax. If I thought you were a danger, or if Hokage-sama thought you were a danger, you would have been taken care of already."

As scary as that statement was, it also said that they were giving him a chance.

"Really?" he squeaked.

"Yes, really," the Hokage confirmed, and Naruto slumped bonelessly back into his seat. "Nothing we have seen since you have lived here, and nothing in the records that we have on you, says that you are dangerous. I see great potential in you and it would be terrible to throw it away. And I admit there is a chance to learn from you; there is very little information on children of werewolves." The old man took a long draw on his pipe. "Although, in order to make this work you will need to be open and honest with us about any problems you may have, like silver allergies and the full moon."

Naruto felt drained. It was exhausting to be so scared. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

"Do we have to talk about all of that now?" he whined.

"No, we don't," the Hokage chuckled. "But it must be addressed soon, you understand?"

"Okay," Naruto muttered sullenly. He eyed the two photographs on the Hokage's desk. "Can…can I have that picture?"

"Of course," the old man said kindly…

…And offered him the wrong picture.

"Not that one," Naruto growled, recoiling from the photo of the man in disgust. "The other one. I want my mom's picture."

"Alright." The old man handed him the right picture, but didn't put the wrong one down. "Are you sure you don't want this one, too?"

"Why would I want that?" Naruto asked, genuinely baffled.

It made no sense to him. He'd never meet the man; he'd turned into a wolf monster and was off howling at the moon and killing things, if he was even still alive. The guy couldn't have been all the great because he'd gotten chewed up by a werewolf. A real demon-hunter would never have fallen prey to something chaotic and stupid like a werewolf. His mom had probably gotten involved with him because he was good-looking and amusing to her…somehow.

"If you're sure—"

"I'm sure," Naruto told him. "Can I go now? I'm tired."

There was some sadness in the old man's eyes, but he nodded and dismissed him with a wave of his smoking pipe.

Naruto hopped off his chair and scampered out of the office before the adults could think of anything to talk about that would delay his escape. He didn't care if he was being followed or if he was walking alone. He just focused on the picture of his mother.

When he'd been cast out, he hadn't been permitted to take anything with him that would tie him to his ex-family, and that included pictures of his mother. It was awesome beyond words to have a picture of her again, so that he would never have to fear forgetting her face again. Tomorrow he'd look into buying a picture frame for it.

"Are you sure you don't want your father's picture?"

The boy flinched and glanced over his shoulder to find both Kakashi-sensei and Iruka following him.

"I'm sure," Naruto repeated in annoyance. "You're not going to ask me that too, are you Iruka?"

"No," the chuunin replied quietly.

"Good," Naruto huffed.

"I sense some resentment here," Kakashi-sensei commented mildly.

"He's the reason I got disowned," Naruto snapped bitterly as his fingertips lightly traced his mother's long red hair. "Why shouldn't I resent him?"

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was an old man, and he felt every one of his many years and then some. To manage and control the sprawling and varied forces of his village was exhausting and consuming. There was a lot to do and never enough time to do it.

With so many things going at once, he had to delegate many tasks that he'd much rather take care of personally. And this situation with Naruto was regrettably one of these tasks. But at least he had a trustworthy and experienced individual he could put in charge of it.

At a quiet signal, one of his ANBU appeared in his office and prepared to receive his orders.

"Spread the word through ANBU that all agents should be on the look-out for Jiraiya. Regardless of what he is doing, he is to report back to me for a special assignment."

The masked hunter bowed and with a quiet "_Hai_, Hokage-sama!" vanished again.

The Hokage sighed and puffed on his pipe, thought about all the civilians under his protection, and hoped that his faith in Naruto was not misplaced.


	4. Tensions and Sparks

**Chapter 3**

_Tensions and Sparks_

Sasuke frowned inwardly as he exited the Uchiha District and headed to the public training grounds for an afternoon practice with his team. He needed a way to worm his way into his father's good graces after disgracing himself with his performance on the mission to Wave Country. But how to do that?

_Dad wanted to know about Naruto…_ Sasuke mused. _If I find out something about him, something that Itachi doesn't find, that could do it… But what can I find that Itachi isn't looking for?_

And then he had a flash of inspiration: He could figure out how Naruto had really defeated Haku.

_Perfect._

Satisfied with his goal, he picked up his pace slightly. He would go and train with his team and expand his skills so that someday soon he wouldn't need anyone to defend him. And while he was at that, he'd lean on Naruto until he let slip how he'd really done it.

With his plan of action decided, he allowed himself to daydream of his future.

One day he would find his way out of his older brother's long shadow and earn his father's respect and love. Then, when his brother ascended to clan head, he would distinguish himself enough to become the new Chief of the Military Police. With the clan run by his brother, and the Military Police run by himself, they would both have more free time to look after their families (for they would have families; Itachi had a girlfriend that if the elders approved of her would become his wife, and if Sasuke didn't find a girl on his own, one would be chosen for him) than their father had. And after that, Sasuke would have a son and teach him the ways of the Uchiha.

_"The Uchiha are the elite of the elite,"_ he recalled his father telling him one day. _"Failure is not an option for us. There is only excellence. That is what my father told me, it is what I tell you now, and it is what you will tell your own son one day. Remember it well, Sasuke."_

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura greeted and waved to him as he arrived at the training field.

"Hey, Sasuke, you make it!" Naruto grinned, as if he was making some great joke.

Kakashi was absent; late as usual.

Sasuke ignored them and focused on his goals: improve himself and uncover Naruto's secret technique.

_"There is only excellence,"_ he heard his father say as he entered the grounds. _"Remember it and live by it. I expect nothing less from a son of mine."_

Sasuke's jaw tightened in determination.

_I will make you proud dad, just you wait and see…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto plucked at the grass he was sitting on as he waited for the ever-tardy Kakashi-sensei to appear and officially start their practice. It wasn't a lecture day so practice started in the morning so that the afternoon would be free for applying for D-ranks. Normally they would start practice without their sensei and perform target throwing exercises or warm-up activities. But Sasuke was being weird, and Naruto didn't feel like doing anything anyway, so he sat underneath a tree and plucked at the grass.

Iruka treated him differently now that he knew. Before Iruka had sort of liked him; said they were alike because his parents had died in the line of duty when he'd been young and left him an orphan like Naruto (like he thought Naruto was). Now the chuunin treaded carefully around him, like he expected Naruto to suddenly turn around and be a furry monster that would rip his head off.

The boy had offered to look for someplace else to live (living on his own was very appealing; he wouldn't have to worry about making excuses to anyone when he wanted to disappear) but Iruka refused to let him. Iruka swore that he had no problem with what Naruto was and that nothing had changed. Naruto knew that he was lying.

_Maybe I could ask Kakashi-sensei if I could sleep on his couch for a while?_

"Sorry I'm late!" their silver-haired sensei said cheerfully as he appeared in a puff of smoke. "I had to help a poor man learn how to fish and it took a lot longer than I thought it would!"

"Liar!" Naruto snapped along with Sakura, but he was surprised at Kakashi's sudden appearance; the jounin was one hour less late than usual.

"You wound me," Kakashi-sensei sighed. "Well, let's get started. Warm up children."

They went through the routine of stretches they'd learned in the Academy and then started on running laps. After several circuits of the border of their training ground (Field #11 today) in the trees and on the ground, they stretched some more. And after a five minute rest, it was time to really get started.

"Alright," their sensei spoke cheerfully. "Naruto, Sasuke, go and play nice now, boys."

Naruto jogged out to the center of the clearing, which was at the center of the grounds, and faced off against his rival. Sasuke just kept giving him that weird stare that he'd been giving him all morning, like he was trying to stare through Naruto without using his Sharingan. That, and the aura of grim determination that surrounded him, was really creepy.

"Begin," Kakashi-sensei said…as he pulled out his book to read.

Sasuke blinked—

His eyes were red, one spinning comma-like tomoe in one eye, two spinning tomoe in the other.

He'd turned his Sharingan on.

And then he was on the attack. Naruto tried to block the Uchiha's aggressive blows, but his rival could see the defenses coming and had little trouble slipping around them. In very short order, Naruto found himself battered and pinned to the dirt by Sasuke.

"Where is that strength you used against that Kiri-nin?" Sasuke hissed into his ear as he kept Naruto pressed into the ground. "I'd very much like to see it. It's the least you could do after shaming me like you did."

"Huh?" Naruto wheezed as he vainly tried to wriggle free.

"Sasuke." Kakashi-sensei's tone was almost harsh, something none of them had ever heard in practice. "You can practice using your Sharingan all you like when you train at home, but in team training you will only use your Sharingan when I say you can. Now turn your Sharingan off and let's start over."

With a soft growl Sasuke released him and Naruto staggered to his feet. Before he'd gotten his breath back, Sasuke was on him again. Without his Sharingan active Sasuke only had a slight edge over Naruto, but it was more than enough for the Uchiha to beat his butt again. It only took a few minutes longer.

"I'm waiting," Sasuke snarled as he held Naruto's head in a painful headlock. "Show me this hidden power you seem to have, because I _know_ you didn't beat that Kiri-nin with _kage bunshins_."

"_Hrk!_" Naruto choked as he tried to free his head.

He was used to Sasuke beating him in spars. He didn't like it, but he was used to it. However, this time Sasuke was blitzing him harder than he ever had before, and it was like he was fighting Naruto to hurt him.

_What is Sasuke's problem today?_

"Drop him, Sasuke." Now Kakashi-sensei actually sounded kind of mad.

Naruto flopped to the ground with a wheezy grunt.

"…I don't think I like your attitude this morning, Sasuke" their sensei remarked. "Stay here and help Sakura with her taijutsu katas. Naruto and I are going to take a walk. We'll come back when you calm down."

Rubbing smudges of dirt from his face (and probably making it worse instead of better) Naruto stumbled to his feet and limped into the trees after his departing sensei. Sakura looked confused and worried, and Sasuke looked pissed off. Naruto just felt sore from Sasuke's merciless blows.

Kakashi-sensei led him well out sight and hearing range of where Sasuke and Sakura were training. His orange book was nowhere to be seen. The jounin brought him to a fallen log where Naruto flopped down and rubbed at his most bruised parts. In a half hour or so he'd forget that he'd ever been tossed around by the angry Uchiha boy, but right now he throbbed everywhere.

"Sasuke was being rather rough there," the silver-haired man commented. "Was he threatening you?"

"He wanted me to show him how I beat Haku," Naruto mumbled as he checked to see if his lip was bleeding. "He said that I 'shamed him' somehow."

"Uchiha can be touchy," Kakashi-sensei said. "You defeating Haku where he failed to probably stings his ego a bit."

Naruto grimaced. "Shouldn't he just be glad that he didn't die from that? I would be."

"He should be," his sensei agreed. "But living in prominent clans like the Uchiha clan can be…complicated."

The boy scrunched up his face in thought. Being only five when he'd been kicked out of his mother's family, he hadn't understood a lot of what had been going on around him. But from what little he could remember of it, it was indeed complicated.

"So how did you defeat Haku?" Kakashi-sensei asked as he leaned casually against a tree. "I don't think anyone brought your vague explanation of _kage bunshins_."

"Um…" Naruto scratched nervously at the back of his head. "I dunno…"

"You don't know?" the jounin repeated dubiously. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with lycanthropy, would it?"

The genin shrugged uncomfortably. "I've only ever done it twice. I dunno what it is."

"Try and do it a third time so that I can see it," Kakashi-sensei suggested dryly.

"'Kay."

Naruto scowled in concentration and stared at his right hand. He tried gathering chakra to his palm because he thought that was how he'd done it, but all that happened was that the air around his hand got shimmery like air over hot asphalt. It felt sort of right, but it definitely didn't look right.

_What am I missing?_ he wondered with a pout. _Do I have to be pissed off and scared, like when I fought Mizuki and Haku? Or is it something…_

_ I know!_

He stopped sending lots of chakra to his hand and instead focused on transforming a bit. He'd been partly transformed both times he'd made the blue fire, so maybe that was necessary. In a few minutes, his fingernails were claws, his canines lengthened into fangs, his whisker markings darkened, his pupils morphed, and then he tried for the fire again.

Sparks.

Flickers.

And then little blue wisps of flame swirled over his fingers.

"Hah!" Naruto crowed and flashed a fanged grin at his watching teacher. "I hit 'em with this! Cool, huh?"

* * *

Werewolves didn't produce fire. They certainly didn't produce _blue_ fire. They really weren't known to have any sort of elemental magic, or even any magic beyond the curse that consumed them and made them into beasts.

Blue fire made Kakashi think of all sorts of animal demons. Naruto's altered appearance—the claws, the whisker markings, the eyes—made him think of feline demons, like Nekomata. But when he inhaled the boy's scent, he detected a whiff of fox leaking out around Naruto's usual odor of human boy and ramen noodles.

Aside from a small clan of lesser fox demons who had bound themselves to a summoning contract with a human clan in the Land of Earth, there were no other kinds of fox demons. There had been the Kitsune—shape-shifters and illusionists with elemental affinities all over the board, although most tended towards lightning or fire, and a multitude of tails. However, several centuries ago the various demon-hunter ninja forces had made a concerted effort to hunt them down and exterminate them after they'd attacked several aristocrats in the Lands of Earth, Fire, Lightning, Grass, and Tea in rapid succession.

As far as everyone was concerned, Kitsune were extinct and had been for nearly two hundred and fifty years.

_For every bit of information you give us, you generate a dozen more questions…_

"It's…not cool?"

Kakashi blinked and found that Naruto's gleeful expression of triumph (that had looked almost maniacal with his fangs and demon eyes) had crumpled into something worried and fearful. His fear leaked into his scent, quickly overwhelming the subtle hint of fox-like scent that Kakashi had noticed earlier. It was no wonder that he'd missed it before back in Wave Country during the night of the full moon.

"It's interesting," the jounin said with a casual shrug. "However, if you want to use it openly, you'll need some kind of excuse."

Naruto tilted his head like a baffled dog. "Excuse?"

"All fire jutsu produce flames in the usual colors: yellow, orange, and red," Kakashi explained. "I have never heard of any jutsu that produces blue flames. And you used no hand seals to generate that fire either. The only way I can think to explain it away would be that it is a _kekkei genkai_, or"—_the more likely explanation is_—"that it is the result of having some strong demonic lineage."

It was possible for a new _kekkei genkai_ to appear (because what he was seeing here didn't match anything he'd ever heard of) as the result of some random mutation…but they were usually primitive, with only a trait or two different from the average shinobi. Over multiple generations new traits could emerge and further expand the _kekkei genkai_. But what he was seeing in Naruto—the physical changes that couldn't be explained by lycanthropy and the blue fire that he only seemed able to produce when transformed—felt too refined to be a sudden mutation. In his gut it didn't feel right.

Having a significant amount of demon blood in him would explain the blue in his fire. Demons could generate flames of just about any color, anywhere from white to green to purple and all the colors in-between. It fit better than a _kekkei genkai_ and yet it didn't, because Uzumaki Kushina had always smelled perfectly human to him. She was a strange one for sure, but she always looked human and smelled human and she'd never ever done anything with any blue fire.

So where had this power come from?

_Somehow I get the feeling that nothing is going to be simple with him…_

_ …Wonderful._

"…Going with the _kekkei genkai_ option would be safer," Kakashi advised.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically at that suggestion. He'd gone very pale, causing his dark, broad whisker marks to stand out starkly on his skin. The acrid scent of fear was so strong it was nauseating.

Kakashi sighed deeply.

"Naruto, you need to relax."

"I'm relaxed!" the boy squeaked, looking more anxious than before.

"And you call me a liar," Kakashi teased, trying to put the boy at ease. "Even if I were blind I could smell your fear."

"You can smell it?"

Oddly, this bit of information actually seemed to relax him.

"Hatakes have good noses," the jounin said. "So do the Inuzuka and their canine partners."

"Oh," Naruto muttered, distracted. "Okay…"

The blond boy stared at his claws in thought. His odd chakra flames had long since dissipated, probably due to inattention as he didn't look at all tired. After a good five minutes of uncharacteristic silence, Naruto glanced up at him with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

"Do you want to see more?"

Kakashi hid his mild dread behind a raised eyebrow. "More of what?"

"Well…" the boy fidgeted. "…What I look like when I'm all furry."

The jounin blinked slowly. "When you transform…fully?"

"Mm-hm," Naruto nodded. "I know werewolves are supposed to get stuck as beasts if they transform all the way—Ebisu lectured everybody on werewolves before the mission to Wave—but I've never been stuck. Well, except during the full moon; I'm stuck until the sun rises and then I can change back."

_During the full moon?_ Kakashi stared at the boy in disbelief. _He's looked at the full moon before?_

"I don't go crazy or anything," the boy continued in a rush. "I don't run around killing chickens or eating pets or biting people. I'm just me with fur. Really."

"Why go out on the full moon?" the jounin probed. "Why not just stay in? You did that in Wave."

"I didn't go out because you guys were there!" Naruto replied, almost sounding angry. "I felt itchy all night long! It drove me nuts!" The boy pouted and scuffed at the ground with the toe of his sandal. "It's easier to not fight it; just go out into the woods where I won't bother anybody and mess around until morning…"

To stave off a migraine from thinking of the repercussions of this mess, Kakashi pulled out his book and turned his eye to its comforting and familiar words.

"Naruto, stay here and play with your fire. For the time being don't let anyone see you practicing. Next full moon, come and get me before you run off and play in the forest all night." Kakashi turned and walked back to the clearing where Sasuke and Sakura were supposed to be training. "We'll talk more about this later."

"Okay…" And as the jounin continued walking, he heard Naruto mutter: _"Did an adult just tell me to play with fire?"_

Hatake Kakashi closed his eye, felt the other throb, and swallowed a sigh.

_Minato-sensei, I think I hate you…_

_

* * *

_

Sakura fidgeted with a long strand of her pink hair as she watched Sasuke stare darkly in the direction that their sensei had taken Naruto. He seemed so angry, and he'd been downright vicious when he'd sparred with the third member of their squad. She was baffled by it, and a little afraid, too.

"Sasuke-kun…shouldn't-shouldn't we get started?"

He didn't answer right away and she almost wrangled up the nerve to ask again.

"Don't you wonder how he did it?"

The girl flinched at his sudden question. "Wonder how who did what?"

"How Naruto beat that Kiri-nin in the dome of ice mirrors," Sasuke elaborated.

"Oh." She blinked her green eyes. "Not-not really. I just thought it was dumb luck, and that you'd worn the Kiri-nin before you…couldn't fight anymore."

"Hn," the Uchiha sniffed. "I barely did anything to the Kiri-nin. That idiot got in my way before I could do much."

Sakura shifted uneasily. "It still could've been dumb luck," she said weakly.

"Dumb luck to survive, maybe," Sasuke grumbled. "But to win? No way."

"Well, what do you think, then?" the girl asked.

"I don't know," the dark-haired boy shrugged. "But I'll find out. I'll make him tell me."

Her worry was now tinged with dread. "How will you do that?"

"I'll find a way," he promised grimly. "I need to know what he did. He can never make me look weak like that again."

"You didn't look weak!" Sakura protested. "You were very brave!"

The look he gave her made her feel as significant as a bug.

"My father was not impressed."

Sakura bit her lip. "Well, you won't hurt him, right? He's no demon; he's one of us."

"He's an unwanted orphan who washed up here a couple of years ago who happened to have a sprinkling of magic in his blood," Sasuke retorted. "He's not one of us."

"But…he's a part of our team," Sakura protested feebly. "Sure, he's an annoying idiot, but he's a good person…"

"Teams are temporary," the Uchiha said dismissively. "My brother will find out who he is and where he came from, and I will find out what he's capable of. And then maybe dad will be pleased."

Sakura's shoulders slumped as her worry deepened. During the dangers in Wave Country, she felt like they'd forged bonds as a team. But the bonds seemed fragile and tenuous, and already she feared that they were crumbling.


	5. One Good Deed

**Chapter 4**

_One Good Deed_

It was horrible being the grandson of the Hokage. His grandfather never had much time for him, and his shadow had swallowed Konohamaru whole. Everyone treated him like he was special when he was just a kid like any other kid. He wanted to be just Konohamaru, instead of the "honorable grandson".

It had been hard making friends. Most other kids his age were pushed at him by their parents who only cared about getting in good with his grandfather. But he'd gotten lucky and found good companions in Moegi and Udon. They were in awe of his grandfather like all the rest, but they found Konohamaru himself cool and that made the difference.

He'd almost never made any friends. He'd once been focused only on besting his grandfather and gaining a reputation that was all his own. But then he'd met some fresh genin that had no idea who he was, and even when he did find out, he treated Konohamaru like any other kid. That had taught him a bit about normalcy, and about true respect.

There was no shortcut to true respect. He couldn't just beat his grandfather one day and suddenly be awesome. For true respect, he'd have to start off at the bottom like everyone else, and excel.

He, and his friends, would do that.

But respect was not on Konohamaru's mind today. It was Saturday so classes were out for the weekend, and Ebisu wasn't free to tutor himself and his loyal companions. He was bored.

"We could go to the library," Udon suggested, rubbing at his congested nose.

"And do what?" Konohamaru grumbled. "Read books? We do that in class all week!"

"We could go to a park," Moegi piped up, fiddling with her red braids.

"And play like little kids?" Konohamaru snorted. "We're training to be demon-hunting shinobi! We should do something important, like train."

"We can't without Ebisu," Moegi told him. "And we can't use the training grounds until we graduate."

"I know, I know!" Konohamaru angrily flicked the long ends of his green scarf over his shoulder. "But I want to train! Katsu's being a jerk and I really wanna beat him in taijutsu class…"

The three children fell silent as they considered what they should do—what they _could_ do.

And then Konohamaru was struck with a flash of inspiration.

"You know how we've been learning about survival techniques?" he asked, trying not to grin too widely at his own genius.

"Yeah," Udon sniffed and adjusted his glasses. "So?"

"Why don't we test 'em out?"

"Where?" Moegi wanted to know.

"Outside of the village," Konohamaru informed them.

"Outside of the village?" Udon blinked. "Outside of the walls?"

"Exactly!"

"Konohamaru, that's dangerous!" Moegi gasped. "Demons live out there! Real demons, that'll eat us!"

"We won't go that far," Konohamaru assured her. "No demon is stupid enough to hang around the village. Our shinobi would kill it before it knew what hit it." He paused briefly for them to think about his words. "So…are you in?"

"I dunno," Udon muttered. "I guess…"

"What's the plan?" Moegi asked warily. "You have a plan, right?"

"Sure!" Konohamaru grinned, his little mind whirring at top speed. "Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

When the full moon had risen, the fox creature had not come. There werewolf couldn't see the moon anymore, but his failing body felt it so he knew when it was the night of that particular lunar phase. And for the first time in a long time he'd suffered the sleepless night alone.

With no games of checkers to play, all he'd done was imagine why he was alone. Perhaps the fox creature was ill. Perhaps it simply had something better to do. Perhaps it had run into a shinobi patrol near the village and been killed (it was surprising that it hadn't happened a while ago; the fox thing had always come from the general direction of the village and how it evaded Konoha's attention was a mystery to him). Perhaps it thought that he had died and there was no point in coming out to see him anymore.

When the sun rose and broke the full moon's spell, he'd slumped to the floor of his den and slept for nearly two days. And then it was back to the grind of trying to live. He would sleep, wake to check the snares and traps and fishhooks for prey, force himself to eat whatever he found, drink from the stream, and then drag himself back to his cave to sleep some more.

It was all he could do with what little strength he had left.

Closing his eyes (not that it made much difference, everything was just smudges of dark and light to him now) he sighed and worked at dredging up the will necessary to stand and make his daily rounds. In his mind's eye, he could feel which snares held prey for him to eat so he wouldn't waste his energy traveling to places where no food was waiting. He'd marked all his traps with seal markers when his eyesight had still been sound, and he'd laid out several rings of seals radiating outward from his den.

His seals let him know what was going on in his territory—the tiny chunk of forest that he'd claimed as his own. He'd meant for his stay here to be temporary, but he'd put the seals up anyway as his health had permitted him to as a precautionary measure. It was a good thing that he'd spent the chakra to do it.

It had been a mistake coming back to the village, even though it hadn't been much of a conscious decision. One full moon night he'd started running without care or direction to burn off his energy and while away the time, and he'd ended up outside of Konohagakure no Sato's towering walls. He'd hesitated, thinking that he could slip inside and steal some pictures because he feared that he was forgetting their faces. But he had no hitai-ate, he couldn't get over the walls without triggering the alarm.

He'd turned away…but not fast enough.

A late-returning hunter group spotted him and pursued him. He'd run, but held back from using his power to escape them. He hadn't wanted them to see what he could do; it could've triggered a "super hunt"—relentless hunting and killing as they sought him out in particular for destruction because he was especially dangerous.

He hadn't been able to shake them long enough to slip away. One of them had carried a long silver knife. At least half of the blade broke into pieces and lodged itself in his back as he fell into the storm-swollen river and was washed away, out of their sight.

Sheltering in the cave had only supposed to have lasted as long as it took for him to heal. But the silver shards were deep and in too awkward a place for him to dig out himself. And so he had languished there—too close to be safe, but too far to be easily noticed—as his health had slowly slipped away…

A flicker in his web of seals made his lips twitch and a growl tickled at his throat. In the eastern most corner of his territory he felt the slithery presence of a lesser centipede demon scuttling about. This was the third day in a row that it had intruded…but there wasn't much he could do about it. If he'd had the strength to, he would've killed it already.

The giant insect skulked around for a bit before slinking away.

_Good riddance,_ he thought, feeling drained by the simple tension of observing its movements. _Hopefully it won't come back…_

But it would, eventually.

The werewolf groaned and stiffly rolled onto his side. The stones of the cave floor felt wondrously cool through his mangy pelt. Perhaps he'd stay here until evening, when it was cooler. He always felt a bit feverish now, even with all the chunks missing from his fur coat.

And then another flicker in his seal web disturbed him.

Three sources of chakra—small, but distinct—slowly zigzagged into the western side of his turf. They were so small and faint he almost thought that he'd hallucinated them. But…

_Children?_ he wondered with a start. _Could they be children?_

They were approaching from the direction of the village and they felt human to his senses. But their energy signatures were so tiny and underdeveloped, and they had no sensei with them… What were they doing out here?

_Hopefully they won't wander this way…_

_

* * *

_

"We're lost," Moegi whined.

"No we're not!" Konohamaru protested.

But they _were_ lost.

Everything had been going so well at first. They'd set off bunches of fireworks near the market, causing enough chaos to distract the ANBU person that Konohamaru knew always shadowed him. Then they'd been fortunate enough to find a bunch of merchant wagons coming through the village gates, so they'd had no problem slipping out unnoticed. But then they'd neglected to mark their path well enough as they'd fled deep into the trees and were now hopelessly turned around.

Konohamaru wasn't about to admit that, though.

"We'll pick up the path any minute now!"

"You said that a half an hour ago," Udon moaned.

"I did not!" Konohamaru protested.

"Yes you did," Udon said and lifted his sleeve to show that he had a wristwatch. "I timed you."

"We're lost!" Moegi wailed, coming to a stop. "We're never going to get home! We're going to die out here!"

"No we're not!" Konohamaru snapped and turned around to walk backwards. "If we just keep walking we'll find somethi—_eee!_"

All of a sudden there was nothing under his foot and he was falling backwards, end-over-end, and down. He tumbled down a steep slope and then slammed down hard on some flat ground. If the wind hadn't been knocked out of him, he would've started bawling like a baby.

"Konohamaru!"

"Konohamaru-kun!"

He couldn't answer their panicked yells; he was too busy trying to catch his breath.

There were some rustling and scrabbling and scuffing sounds, and then his two friends faces were looming over him, blocking out his view of the green forest canopy.

"Konohamaru, are you okay?"

"Say something, Konohamaru-kun!"

"Guh!" Konohamaru wheezed. "I'm okay."

All thoughts of crying were erased from his mind. He was the leader here and leaders didn't cry. It would ruin his budding reputation if he did.

"Are you sure?" Udon sniffled. "You look kinda pale."

"I'm fine," Konohamaru coughed and forced himself to sit up. "See?"

"Oh," Moegi fussed, "I knew this was a bad idea!"

Konohamaru panted and looked around to see where he'd fallen to distract himself from everything hurting.

It looked like he'd stepped backwards into a small ravine or something. All of the earthen and rock walls around him were steep except for one side where there was a less-steep trail, which was probably how Udon and Moegi had gotten down to him. And opposite of the trail, he found a cave opening.

"Cool," he wheezed, "a cave."

"A cave?" Udon blinked.

"You're not thinking of going in there, are you?" Moegi asked worriedly.

"Why not?" Konohamaru muttered as he used Udon's arm to pull himself up. "We're already down here, let's take a peek."

"But there could be something living in there!" the girl whined.

"Wouldn't it have come out already if there was?" Konohamaru countered and stumbled to the cave. "Come on!"

"Hey wait!" Udon whimpered and chased after him.

It was surprisingly dark in the cave and Konohamaru tripped twice before his eyes adjusted. It wasn't very big, but…there was stuff in it. Intrigued, the boy started investigating as Udon breathed heavily behind him.

"What the heck?"

He found a beat-up, torn-up backpack full of threadbare clothes. There were some other odds and ends, like discarded soup cans, plastic shopping bags, old magazines, a magnifying glass with a broken handle, a battery-powered camping lantern, and a mildewed cardboard checker board with half of its plastic game pieces substituted for other things. Aside from some small piles of dried plants, there really wasn't anything that Konohamaru could find in there.

"Is this a hobo camp?"

"A what?" Udon asked.

"My grandpa told me about these," Konohamaru explained. "In really big cities, like the capital, there are a lot of homeless people. They live in alleys and collect garbage and people call them hobos. Sometimes they live in big bunches, or out in the woods outside of town, in camps. Don't you think this looks like one? Look at all of this junk!"

"Yeah, I guess," Udon said with a shrug. "But, if this is a homeless person's stuff, where is he?"

"I dunno."

"Would you get out of there?" Moegi cried. "We're going to get into trouble. We're already _in_ trouble!"

"Relax, I'll just tell grandpa that it was all my idea and that I made you guys come with me," Konohamaru replied.

And it was mostly true, too. He'd wanted to go and he'd come up with the plan; they'd only helped him refine a few details. It was his idea so he'd take the fall for it.

"Hey, there's an animal skin over here!" Udon yelled as he poked at a lump in a corner that Konohamaru hadn't noticed.

"Eww, it smells!" the Hokage's grandson coughed and pulled part of his scarf over his mouth.

"Really? I don't smell anything."

"You never smell anything, Udon!" Moegi yelled into the cave. "Come out of there you guys! Hurry, before we get caught!"

"This thing is gross," Konohamaru said as he grabbed part of the furry animal skin and experimentally pulled and twisted—

_"Grrraooough!"_

The animal roar reverberated in the small cave so that it felt deafening. Then Konohamaru was moving—he couldn't tell if he was running, being pushed, or being dragged. And then he was outside, Udon was outside, Moegi was shrieking, and the thing that roared was outside, revealed by the sunlight to be…

The thing looked sort of like a giant, skinny dog. It was ugly, with dirty yellow fur and lots of bald spots. There were dark stains or shadows under its eyes, and its eyes…they looked like they had a film over them.

Dead, unseeing eyes.

"Zombie dog!" Konohamaru screamed.

"Zombie" was a broad term that encompassed anything that had been dead and was then re-animated. Some zombies were gross, but safe. Some were incredibly dangerous. Some were fast, some were slow. Some were human, some were animal, and some were twisted chimeras made of stitching different parts together.

This ugly, rotten-looking dog-thing was most certainly a zombie.

"Run!" Konohamaru shouted, shoving at a frozen Udon and a still-screaming Moegi. "Run before it tries to eat us!"

Without any further prompting all three of them bolted up the path that led out of the ravine. They ran and ran and ran until they got stitches in their sides and had to stop. The trio took shelter in a dense clump of bushes and gasped for air.

"I think…we lost it," Udon panted.

"We never should've come out here!" Moegi wailed.

"I know," Konohamaru said quietly.

His genius idea was a flop. It was worse than a flop, it was a disaster! They were outside of the village and no one knew where they were or that they were in trouble.

_If only I kept a few firecrackers,_ he thought glumly as his racing heartbeat slowly calmed down. _We could use them to get someone's attention—_

A slithery sound interrupted his thoughts and they all tensed. Was it the zombie dog slinking over to them to eat their brains? Or was it something else—something _worse_?

"Wh-what is it?" Moegi whispered loudly.

"Shh!" Konohamaru hissed.

"We're going to die," Udon whimpered. "I'm too young to die!"

The slithery sound grew closer and closer…

"Aie!" Moegi shrieked and bolted from the bushes.

"Hey wait!" Konohamaru yelped as he and Udon scrambled to follow her—

Something crashed into the bushes that they'd just dashed out of. It reared up with a dry hiss and loomed over them. The thing was a gigantic centipede with enormous jaws dripping with venom. It twitched its numerous claw-like limbs and swayed like a cobra as it lined up its attack on them.

"_Bug!_" Moegi shrilled. "_Giant bug!_"

"We're dead," Udon whined.

"I'm sorry guys," Konohamaru gulped. "This is all my fault."

The monster centipede lurched forward, pincer jaws opened wide—

* * *

The werewolf rubbed at his abused tail as the children fled from him.

_"Zombie dog"?_ He whined softly._ Do I really look that bad?_

He'd thought about fleeing when he felt the children drawing closer to his lair, but their path was so unpredictable that he kept hoping they would veer off in some other direction. When the boy, Konohamaru, had fallen into the ravine, he'd thought about warping away. But using that technique put a strain on his body and in his current condition it had a chance of killing him. Then he'd gotten distracted by the endless debate with himself on whether he should just end it because his death was looming anyway.

And then one of the kids had cruelly twisted his tail.

But now they were gone, and it was just a question of how long it would take them to get home and for the village to send out hunters to slay him. With a wheeze he settled down on the dirt to wait. He saw no point in hiding now.

_I suppose my last good thing will have to be being added to some young shinobi's kill record—_

The centipede was back. The kids screaming must've attracted it. And it was heading right for their hiding place.

He started moving without a thought, in spite of the painful protests of his joints. His lungs burned as he tried to run, navigating by memory, smell, sound, and his seals. No child deserved to be bug food.

_This will be my last good deed._

As he stumbled along he drew on the last shreds of his chakra reserves. It was discouraging how little he had left. But it should be enough.

When he felt he was close enough, he stopped and spent all his chakra on one technique. He sucked in the energies of nature the way that the toad demons had taught him while he'd still been in contract with them. Without help he'd never maintain the heightened state that the nature power gave him, but it should last long enough.

He could feel the centipede looming over the terrified little kids so clearly that he could almost see it.

When it lunged, he lunged.

The werewolf shoved the segmented creature aside, and then dug his claws into the cracks in the creature's armor-plated body. It shrieked and writhed and tried to constrict around him like it was a python instead of a centipede. The wolf slipped out of its grasp and ripped more chunks out of its body. And then, in a final blow, it tore the demon's head off, leaving its long body flopping and twitching in death.

He slowly backed away from the demon centipede carcass…

And then his strength completely failed him.

He collapsed to the ground with a wheezy sigh.

He could taste his own blood in his mouth, and he idly wondered if all this strenuous activity hadn't shifted a silver shard in his back and made it pierce some important in his insides.

His thoughts grew fuzzy as he struggled to breathe and he felt himself drift off…

Even though he'd gotten to do his good deed, he still felt regret instead of the peace he'd been hoping for. He wished he could've seen all of his old friends again, his sensei, his students, his girlfriend, and said good-bye. He wished he could've played more checker games with the fox thing. He wished he could've met his son.

_…I'm sorry._

_

* * *

_

_…dead?_

_ No, I think…_

_ …lost!_

_ …you are, Honorable Grandson!_

_ Don't call me…_

_ …still alive?_

_ …it saved…_

_ …my pet._

_ …ridiculous…_

_ I want…_

_ …Hokage-sama will decide._


	6. Nowhere Boy

**Chapter 5**

_Nowhere Boy_

Itachi grimaced as he tossed down the packet of papers in disgust. His desk in the headquarters of the Military Police, normally neat and orderly, was cluttered with paperwork. And all of the clutter had come from the investigation his father had requested he do on his younger brother's teammate, Naruto.

For over three weeks now he'd been working on this little side project every free moment he could find. He'd called social services offices all around the Land of Fire to try and get all of the boy's paperwork, he'd hogged the office's one fax machine for hours at a time receiving copies, and he was still expecting several thick manila envelopes in addition to the dozens he'd already gotten from the smaller towns and villages. Skimming through the forms, he found it easier to track which places the kid had lived than what families he'd lived with because there were just so many of them, and his stays were always so short. The reasons he'd been shifted from home to home varied from minor behavior issues, emotional problems, lying, sneaking out at night, running away, to even a few more serious accusations like arson (although it was never conclusively proven who burned down that shed).

_They label him a problem child, but it's hard to say how much his circumstances and environment cause him to be a problem._ Itachi sighed and rubbed at his tired eyes. _Most of his placements lasted three weeks or less, and many of those homes have complaints attached to them. At least once a year he was sent to a completely different city or town, which means a new school, new teachers, and a new curriculum. In light of that, his Academy grades are actually rather impressive._

Shaking his head, Itachi made an attempt to organize the mess of papers. Even though the paper trail wasn't complete (there were still a few remote towns that hadn't mailed him file copies yet) he'd found the end of it—Naruto's entry into The System. But it was worthless.

Naruto had gone into the foster care system when he was five years old in the city of Yokoshima. He had been signed over by his grandfather who had claimed that the boy's mother was unfit, and that he and the boy's other relations either had no resources or no desire to become the boy's guardian. The boy was illegitimate, his father was unknown, and the grandfather made it clear that his family wished to wash their hands of the child.

The boy's entry papers—his family background and birth certificate—should link him to his past, which was what mattered in this situation. But when Itachi had made some phone calls to the civilian Yokoshima police, he found that all the information that the grandfather had provided was false. The address traced back to a dry-cleaners, the phone number belonged to a pay phone, all the names were of people who didn't exist, and the boy's birth certificate was missing.

Naruto might as well have materialized out of thin air.

_His birth family didn't just give him up, they cut all ties and erased him. They made sure that no one would ever be able to trace him back to them…whoever they are. But why?_

He greatly doubted that it was anything that the boy had done—he'd only been five years old when he'd been given up. So that left some sort of family conflict or chaos as the cause. But the exact nature of the family issue was impossible to tell; all the paperwork was a lie.

_This boy could be anyone. He could be from anywhere. There's just no way to know…not from the information here._

At this point, the only way he could think to find more information was to track down every single family he'd ever lived with and interview them to see if Naruto had told them anything about his birth family, and then travel to Yokoshima and see if there was anyone there that could tell him anything about the boy or perhaps his original family. That sort of investigation, if he attempted it by himself, could take upwards of a year to complete. It would be simpler to go to the source and ask Naruto, but the boy could lie to him, not remember anything important, or simply choose not to speak with him. And his father wanted this background check to be subtle, and asking the boy in question was not subtle.

_This is a nightmare…_

Itachi finally managed to arrange everything into piles so that he could see his desk underneath it and then left the office. It was getting late and he had a patrol to do in five minutes. He'd just have to pick up some take-out and eat it while he made his rounds so that the civilians felt safer.

A few years back, at his father's urging, he'd tried to get into ANBU. Even though he'd barely been a teenager at the time, he was highly skilled and the challenge of ANBU had greatly appealed to him. But the Hokage had gently turned him away, saying that he was a bit too young and that he should apply again when he was older if he was still interested. His father had been insulted and Itachi knew that he'd had some arguments with the Hokage about it, but the young Uchiha had accepted it and simply entered into his father's police force.

_Perhaps when I finish this "little" investigation for father I'll apply again,_ he thought as he approached the gates that divided the enclosed Uchiha District from the rest of Konohagakure no Sato. _I should be old enough now._

His father was waiting for him just outside of the gate.

"It's been almost a month, how are you progressing on that project I gave you?"

"I have nearly completed the background check," Itachi replied. "I'm only waiting for a few files to be mailed to me from some small villages."

"And the boy's lineage?" his father asked.

Itachi carefully kept his face neutral. "All of the information listed on his initial papers led nowhere."

"Nowhere?" His father was not pleased to hear that. "What do you mean by that?"

"All of the information listed on his induction papers appears to be false and incomplete," Itachi explained.

His father's black eyes turned darker and he stood rigid and silent for a moment.

"In what city did he enter into the foster care system?"

"Yokoshima," Itachi told him.

"I will arrange for you to travel there as soon as possible," his father decided.

"He's only a boy," Itachi said carefully. "Is this really necessary?"

"It is," his father said decisively. "We are the protectors of this place and it is our duty to keep the monsters out of these walls. This village has suffered enough disgrace with Orochimaru and _Namikaze_." He said the second name with far more venom than the first. "That boy was not born here. We don't know what stock he comes from—he could be a half-demon like Orochimaru for all we know. In all probability he won't turn out to be anything dangerous…but what if he is? Would you risk Sasuke being around that?"

"No," Itachi agreed, "but the Hokage—"

"Is old," his father interrupted. "He favored that son of a snake to be his successor, and Orochimaru turned out to be a sociopath that delighted on experimenting on real human beings. And his second choice turned out to be a closet werewolf!" Fugaku glared off into space. "Admittedly we should have seen Namikaze for what he was, and we paid for it in the end. But we won't fail again. We won't let evil slip in."

"Of course not, Father," Itachi agreed with a nod. "But is it really necessary to travel to Yokoshima without first trying to interview the boy in question?"

"It is very likely that he is no real threat and it would be foolish to alarm an innocent child over nothing, but if he is dangerous it is in his own interest to be dishonest with us. Interviewing the boy will be the last resort." The elder Uchiha folded his arms over his chest. "There's no reason for you to have to go anywhere near that eye thief unless you have to, either. It's bad enough that Sasuke has to deal with him."

It had been a real problem for Itachi's father when he learned who his youngest son's sensei was. The clan leader had gone and met with the Hokage many times to try and have the jounin-mentors swapped around that class's squads. But Sarutobi-sama wouldn't hear of it and so Hatake Kakashi remained leader of Team Seven, much to Fugaku's dismay and anger.

"I understand," Itachi nodded.

"Good." His father turned and headed back through the gates into the Uchiha District. "Please type up a preliminary report for me before you leave for Yokoshima."

"Yes, Father," Itachi agreed and then hurried off to patrol his section of the village for his shift.

He didn't like some of the things his father had said, but he understood the man's motives. He didn't want his little brother to be stuck in a dangerous situation, but he had trouble believing that Naruto was dangerous. He'd glimpsed the boy a few times and the only thing that he found at all interesting about him were the odd marks on his cheeks. From what he could tell, Naruto was a lot like Obito, the fun cousin he sort of remembered but no one ever wanted to talk about. In Itachi's opinion, it was a good thing that his foolish little brother was exposed to such a person.

Itachi loved his clan, but he knew it had problems. The Uchiha were powerful and important to the village, but they saw themselves as the most important. They walled themselves off from the rest of the village and looked down on everyone else when in reality they were no better, no more special. The clan's pride and arrogance was so suffocating that it was toxic, and sometimes Itachi would take back-to-back patrol shifts just to get some fresh air and spend time with other people.

As he reached the start of the winding circuit that he walked, he scanned around for cheap take-out that was easy to eat on the run. He'd much prefer a good meal that his mother had cooked, but today he just didn't have time. Once he found some dinner, his focus would fully be on his duty.

_I wonder what I should do after my shift…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto laid on his back on his bed and played with fire. When he was first given permission to fiddle with flames he'd almost burned down a tree and only Kakashi-sensei's timely return and a water jutsu had saved the day. He was a lot more careful now.

On his sensei's suggestion he only practiced in damp places and near bodies of water. And when he didn't, he kept the fire small and as controlled as he could. With some advice and a scroll on the basics of _Katon_ provided by Kakashi-sensei, he was on his way to getting a handle on his blue fire.

At first he could only get tiny flames or sudden explosions and nothing in-between. His control was shaky and it was hard to get it to do what he wanted. But as the saying goes: practice makes perfect.

After weeks of practicing and practicing in his free time he'd gotten to the point where he could shroud his hands with the fire and keep it that way for ten minutes at a time. He could also condense the flames into a sort of orb and hover it over his palm. And now he was working on getting two of those orbs to exist at the same time, one in each hand.

Naruto poked the tip of his tongue out of his mouth in deep concentration as he held out his clawed hands in front of himself. Over his right hand a ball of blue fire slowly coalesced. When it stabilized, he started focusing on his left hand…

_Knock-knock!_

"Naruto?"

The half-formed orb in his left hand burst like a cherry bomb and a spark from it started the edge of his pillow on fire. Cursing under his breath he slapped the smoldering spot out before it really started to burn. Then he banished the fire in his right hand, reversed the partial transformation (because he still wasn't able to get the fire without letting some of his inner beast show), and scrambled over to crack open his bedroom door.

"Yeah?"

Iruka stood on the other side of the door, looking concerned.

"I was just checking to see if you were okay…" The chuunin shifted uncomfortably. "You know, with tonight being…you know."

"Eh?" Naruto squinted in confusion for a moment before it clicked. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Iruka rubbed nervously at a corner of his scar. "I could sit with you if you want me to."

"No, no, no, I'm okay, really." Naruto flashed him a big grin. "I'm actually going to be sleeping over at Kakashi-sensei's tonight."

"When were you going to tell me that?" Iruka asked with a frown.

"Uh, I forgot!" the boy said brightly.

"Well when are you going over to his place?"

Naruto blinked, pulled his head back into his room, looked at his alarm clock, and cringed. He'd gotten distracted by his fire practice and it was an hour past when he'd planned to slink off. He would have to hurry to find Kakashi-sensei before the sun set and the full moon rose.

"Right now!" Naruto declared to his current guardian as he snatched up his backpack and then slipped out of his room and around the chuunin. "See you tomorrow! Bye!"

And then he was out of the apartment before Iruka could protest. It didn't matter how often Iruka said that he wasn't bothered by what Naruto was, he _had_ to be. So Naruto resolved to be as small of a bother to him as possible as thanks for still letting him live in the apartment.

He dashed through the emptying streets as he headed towards Kakashi-sensei's address. He'd never actually been there, but the jounin had written down some directions for him. It shouldn't be too hard to find his way…

…An hour later, he was kicking himself.

_Gah! Where is it? I'm so late!_

Most of the color of sunset had faded from the sky. It was getting so late that he didn't dare look up anymore. If he didn't find his teacher and get out of the village soon he'd be in a lot of trouble.

_Is this the street…? No. Is it this one…? No. This one—_

Naruto stopped mid-step as he spied his silver-haired teacher just down the street he was peeking at. The jounin was chatting with some other guy with black hair in a pony-tail. Judging by the other guy's clothes he was at least a chuunin (no genin was allowed to wear the drab green battle vests, only chuunin and jounin had access to them). When Naruto spied the patch of the Military Police—the Uchiha fan inside a shuriken shape—on the other guy's arm, he ducked back around the corner and strained his ears to see if he could find out what they were talking about.

"…little brother is so foolish," the Uchiha said. "I'll talk with him."

_Are they talking about Sasuke?_ Naruto wondered, straining his sharp ears. _Is that…Sasuke's older brother over there?_

"Thank you, Itachi," Kakashi said. "With the way things have been going, I've been seriously considering holding the whole team back from the Trials."

The eavesdropping genin stiffened in surprise. The way he understood it, it was rare for young shinobi to be recommended for the Trials by their senseis; normally it would be a year or two after graduation before rookie teams could undertake the promotion exams. Naruto was startled to hear that his sensei had thought about giving Team Seven permission to enter them barely six months after they'd graduated.

"You were going to enter them in the next Trials?" Itachi asked.

"As a learning experience," Kakashi replied. "I don't expect them to pass, but it would better show them how they need to improve themselves to succeed. But with Sasuke bullying Naruto and Sakura sitting paralyzed I don't think they'll be able to make it far enough into the Trials to really learn anything." There was a pause, then the jounin-sensei tossed a question to the Uchiha. "Would you know why Sasuke's been so unpleasant towards Naruto lately?"

"I believe I do," Itachi sighed. "When Sasuke reported to our father about the mission to Wave County, father became interested in Naruto and his mysterious potential. My foolish little brother is desperate for our father's approval and I believe he is trying to find out anything he can about his teammate in order to get attention."

_I don't think I like Sasuke's dad,_ Naruto decided with a nervous shiver.

"Ah," Kakashi said. "So, you would be investigating Naruto for your father?"

"I am," Itachi replied.

"And how is that going?"

"Terrible," the Uchiha answered. "I'll be shipped out to Yokoshima soon to continued investigating, though I predict I'll only find more dead-ends."

"Yokoshima?" Kakashi inquired politely. "That's a shady place, and pretty far from here."

"Yes, it brushes against the sea and the border of Whirlpool Country," Itachi said, sounding rather glum. "And it would have to be a shady place for that boy's papers to be approved."

"Oh?"

"No birth certificate, so no way to know where he was born, and no legitimate family contact information," the Uchiha explained.

"Huh, unfortunate," the silver-haired man remarked.

"…You don't sound too surprised," Itachi observed.

"Naruto admitted being disowned."

"At age five?" The Uchiha's voice sounded skeptical. "What could he possibly have done to deserve that?"

"I don't know." Kakashi raised his voice. "What did you do, Naruto?"

The boy flinched and slowly peeked around the corner. His sensei and the Uchiha looked back at him, expectantly. Naruto gulped and slunk into full view, keeping his gaze toward the pavement.

"I dunno," the blond shrugged. "They didn't like my dad."

"And who is your father?" Sasuke's older brother asked.

"No idea," Naruto shrugged again. "He was long gone before I was ever born."

His sensei had strongly advised him to keep quiet about his secrets, especially around any Uchiha. Sasuke's clan was notoriously nosy and very unfriendly to whoever they decided that they didn't like. If anything needed explaining, the Hokage or his teacher would do it.

"I see," the Uchiha said, not at all happy with that answer.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, are we going to go?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, of course," the jounin nodded. "Have a nice patrol, Itachi, and good luck in Yokoshima."

The Uchiha gave a polite nod and walked off down the street, leaving Naruto alone with his teacher.

"How did you know I was there?" Naruto whispered.

"It was a lucky guess," Kakashi told him. "Now show me how you get out of the village."

"Okay," the boy muttered. _A lucky guess…?_

He would've argued more, but it was getting darker all the time. He could feel the weight of the full moon pressing on his back more and more. He wanted to just look up and get it over with, but he still had a ways to go before he could give in.

_Stupid moon…_

_

* * *

_

Kakashi had to admit that the boy was clever. Before he'd gotten his own hitai-ate, Naruto had slipped out of the village during the day by hiding in some outgoing group of people or wagons, or he'd cause some distraction with firecrackers or paint balloons to make sure that he wasn't noticed sneaking out (or in). When he had a hitai-ate of his own after graduation he just slipped past the patrols on the wall and jumped into the trees on the other side.

He also wasn't terribly surprised when the boy transformed into something that looked a lot more like a fox than any werewolf he'd ever seen. It was almost like a werewolf was wearing a fox pelt. And his scent had more fox musk in it than wolf, and more animal than human now.

Naruto seemed more aimless in his path after he'd gotten his shape-shifting done. He shuffled along on two legs even though he tripped and stumbled a lot. It would probably be more comfortable for him to scamper around on all-fours, but he was probably sticking to the more human form of locomotion to assure his teacher that he wasn't a blood-thirsty animal ready to snap.

As he trailed after his wandering student, he thought about his conversation with Uchiha Itachi. It was nice to know that there was one Uchiha out there who wasn't at all bothered by speaking to the "eye thief". Fugaku's interest was troubling, but not entirely unexpected; Kakashi had been hoping that it would take longer for someone outside Team Seven to pick up on Naruto's oddness. And Itachi's theory behind Sasuke's misbehavior was a solid one.

_I hope Itachi can get Sasuke to calm down,_ he thought, annoyed. _I would like to enjoy my book without worrying if Sasuke's picking fights with Naruto. They could set a lot of things on fire if they get out of hand._

Perhaps the threat of missing out on the Trials would do the trick. In the past there had been the Chuunin Exams—an event shared by all the villages to determine who was ready to become a chuunin. But the Chuunin Exams were huge security concerns for the host village, cost the host village a lot of missions, and had been discontinued several generations ago.

The Trials were a once a year event that replaced the Chuunin Exams for Konoha and the surrounding lesser villages who were too small to mount their own tests. Every year the tests were adjusted, but there was always some kind of teamwork and survival test in the Forest of Death, an individual preliminary tournament in the tower at the heart of the Forest of Death, and a public gladiatorial-style match against lesser demons in the village arena. Generally only genin with a few years experience were allowed to enter. Younger genin needed their sensei's approval to take the tests.

The next Trials were scheduled to start in a few months, but with his team of students in their current state his plan of entering them as a learning experience was in serious jeopardy. If Team Seven was entered now, Kakashi had doubts they'd make it even one day in the Forest of Death. Sasuke needed to calm down and get his priorities straight, and quick.

Naruto paused by a stream and crouched to drink from it. But he tried to not lap the water like a dog, so he was having trouble getting any water. While his furry student struggled, Kakashi studied their surroundings.

_We've come a long way,_ he noted. _He's really got this down to a science. It's not too surprising that no one stumbled over him before. There aren't any roads over this way, and it's miles from the wall, so it isn't well-patrolled…_

_ I wonder if there's anything else out this way._

And then he spotted the mark on the tree. It was a small scar in the bark, unnatural in shape, and nearly invisible in the dark. Kakashi walked closer, traced his fingers over it, and then adjusted his hitai-ate so that Obito could take a peek.

_A seal._ Obito showed him the fading chakra in it. _What's this doing out here? This is no remote ANBU post._

Glancing around, Kakashi noticed another seal several yards away. When he looked past that one, Obito pointed another out to him. And there was another, and another, and another. He followed the hidden seals like breadcrumbs, leaving Naruto by the stream, and sought the source of this mystery.

_Who is out here? And why?_ Kakashi frowned behind his mask. _Could it be a spy?_

It had been a long time since there had been war between the villages. The greater villagers—Leaf, Mist, Stone, Cloud, and Sand—stayed out of each other's way, and the numerous lesser villages like Waterfall, Grass, and Rain didn't pack enough punch on their own to be any real threat. Any spying that was done was done by agents that visited the target village and left to report back. Spies didn't hide out in the forest to do their work…

…Not unless they were keeping tabs on patrol movements and the local ANBU.

That sort of information would be vitally important to an invasion.

The trail of seals led to a small ravine with only one easy pathway leading into its depths. Kakashi picked his way down it and found a natural cave set into the steepest side of the ravine. Around the edges of the cave Obito's eye found a ring of seals that Kakashi recognized as the hub of a network.

_What a well-hidden camp,_ he thought as he cautiously approached. _If I didn't know that there were seals here, I would just think it was a cave._

And then Naruto skidded on to the scene. He was jumpy like a fidgety squirrel and made no attempt to be quiet as he crunched dead leaves under his paws. Then, before Kakashi could send him away, the boy-turned-fox darted into the black cave.

"Naruto!"

An electric lantern winked on, illuminating the cave and showing that Naruto was the only one inside.

"That was a stupid thing to do," Kakashi scolded as he cautiously entered the small cavern. "There could've been someone or something in here."

The air in the cave was dank and smelled strongly of decay and dirty fur—it was difficult to determine from what animal, or animals. There was a scattering of small animal bones on the floor and a few piles of discarded cans and bottles. Kakashi also noticed a weathered, tattered backpack and a few other items that had probably been salvaged from the trash.

In the back of the cave there was a flat raised stone and on it was the lantern, and a mildewed checkerboard with scattered pieces (and make-shift pieces) laying around it. Naruto was crouched over there, pawing at the game board, looking increasingly distressed. Kakashi watched the fox-boy's behavior with wary interest.

_He knows this place. The seals are beyond him, I'm sure he didn't place them. But he's been here before._

_ He knows something._

Naruto picked up a lonely chess piece—a scuffed up black knight—and cradled it in his hand-like front paws. Then the fox-boy shuffled out of the cave and looked around and sniffed at the air in search of something. Not finding what he was looking for, the boy sat down, threw back his head, and let out a horribly sad sound.

_He doesn't look like a wolf, he really doesn't smell like a wolf, but he certainly can howl like one…_


	7. Fox Tales

**Chapter 6**

_Fox Tales_

Naruto slumped in his seat and stared blankly at the swirls in the wood grain of the desk in front of him. He was in a lot of trouble. But he didn't feel like caring about it at the moment.

As soon as he'd reverted to human form, Kakashi-sensei had dragged him off to see the Hokage. The two adults grilled him about the cave and what he knew about it. And Naruto told them everything as there was no reason not to anymore.

They got really mad at him.

He was just a child, he didn't have the experience necessary to judge whether or not a supernatural creature was dangerous. It didn't matter that Ookami-jiji was old and sick, the werewolf was still a threat. Keeping the cursed creature secret was incredibly irresponsible and could've resulted in other people contracting lycanthropy.

The Hokage had nearly stripped him of his shinobi status.

Naruto made no real protests as the old man reprimanded him. He felt so numb that not even the prospect of losing access to the training that he needed to rescue his mother seemed to touch him. All he felt was loneliness.

Ookami-jiji had sort of been his friend. The old werewolf hadn't known that he was human, but he'd known all about Naruto's furry side…and hadn't cared. He had appreciated Naruto's visits, the little things like fresh batteries that he brought, and kept him occupied with checkers all night long. The werewolf hadn't cared that Naruto was a freak, or judged him.

It was great.

It had been great.

_He died while I was away…_ Naruto leaned forward and buried his face in his arms. _He died all alone…_

A finger poked him in the side.

"Hey, you okay?"

Naruto took a second to compose himself and peeked up to find Chouji looking down at him with concern.

"I'm fine," Naruto told him, managing to smile.

"You sure?" the chubby kid asked and munched on a potato chip. "You look really down."

"Oh…my goldfish died," Naruto lied, letting his smile fall away. "My first pet ever…and it dies."

"Oh…" The Akimichi boy offered him one of his chips. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Naruto said and popped the chip in his mouth.

_Why couldn't I have been put on a team with Chouji, or the other guys?_

When he'd first started attending the Academy, it had been hard to find any friends. All the other students had been going there all their lives. There were no new kids, especially not in the higher grades.

But then he'd shared some cookies with Chouji and made a friend. Almost immediately after that he'd become buddies with Shikamaru, because Shikamaru was Chouji's best buddy and they always hung out together. And then a few weeks after that, Naruto had befriended Kiba (even though Kiba made fun of his whiskers and sometimes commented that he smelled funny).

The four of them were the best of buddies and the troublemakers of the class. Shikamaru would nap through class, Chouji was always eating, Kiba was always loud, and Naruto did a bit of all three things. Naruto knew he should pay attention and be a good student because he was behind everyone else and his goal was to become strong, but…class was just _so boring!_

Naruto had hoped that he'd be teamed up with at least one of them when he'd graduated (even if Kiba had gotten a bit jerk-y once he'd gotten Akamaru). It had been a big disappointment to get stuck with Sasuke. He'd tried to make that a positive as being teamed with his rival (and cute Sakura-chan) would make it easier for him to measure himself against the Uchiha than if they were on different squads. But his team situation was back to being a negative again…a big negative.

After months of being put on teams, all of his classmates would sit with their teammates during the lecture classes. With Sasuke constantly trying to intimidate him Naruto didn't want to sit with Team Seven if he didn't have to, so he always scrambled to find an open seat between other squads when it was time for class. He couldn't stand Sasuke always glaring at him and Sakura trying to ignore what Sasuke was doing anymore.

_I really wish Sasuke would just go back to ignoring me…_

Today he'd been fortunate to find an aisle seat open next to Chouji. Shikamaru was the only person better for him if Chouji hadn't been free because he'd just sleep. If his desk neighbor had been Kiba, Naruto probably would've punched him at some point because of his low mood.

_I wish I could cut Lecture,_ Naruto thought sourly as he slipped his hand into his pocket and gripped the black horse-head chess piece. _It's so stupid._

Not even leaving the village had spared him from the lectures on the various varieties of demons. When his team had been in Wave, the teachers had made up note packets for them on all the subjects that they'd missed. Upon their return, they had certain deadlines to study those notes and take little quizzes on them to make sure that they'd actually read and learned from the packets.

Naruto had been so distracted by fiddling with his weird fire powers on top of his usual training that he'd barely gotten all the quizzes done with scores high enough to pass.

"All right, class," Iruka called out as he wheeled in a slide projector, bringing the room full of genin to attention. "I hope you enjoyed your last lesson, Tsuchigumo and Jorougumo: Their Similarities and Differences. Today we'll be covering something a little bit different."

While Iruka set up the projector and checked his slides, Naruto sat up straighter in his chair. Lectures that had slide shows in them were always more interesting than those that were just talking and writing on the chalkboard. Once the machine was set up, the scar-nosed chuunin picked up a piece of chalk and wrote out the subject he was going to cover.

"Extinct Demons: Kitsune," Iruka said as he scrawled it out.

Naruto blinked.

"Iruka-sensei," a whiner from Team Three called out. "If Kitsune are extinct, why do we have to learn about them? If they're extinct, they're all dead!"

"Kitsune are important to the early history of Konoha," the chuunin replied as he pulled down the white screen for the projector. "And just because they are believed to be extinct doesn't necessarily mean that they are. Many races of dragons were once thought to be extinct, and then turned up alive after centuries up in some remote stretches of some mountain ranges in the Lands of Earth and Lightning."

Iruka turned down the classroom lights and turned on the slide projector, although no pictures appeared immediately.

"Now, Kitsune were fox demons," Iruka said, sliding into lecture mode, "that were wiped out a little over two hundred years ago. They were tricksters and menaces and after committing a string of crimes against the nobility of the Lands of Earth, Fire, Lightning, Grass, and Tea the shinobi forces of the day began a Great Hunt. The first years of the Great Hunt were filled with many battles, climaxing in the bloody fight where Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage, and Uchiha Madara slew the terrible Kyuubi no Yoko—a nine-tailed Kitsune of immense evil power. And for years after that they focused most of their attentions on ferreting out any Kitsune and destroying them until no more could be found and they were declared extinct."

When Iruka mentioned the battle between the Kyuubi no Yoko and the founding Hokage and an Uchiha, he showed the first slide. The picture was old, an artist's rendering, because cameras hadn't been invented yet. It was of a snarling red-orange monster that barely looked like a fox with nine long, lashing tails. It was surrounded by very small-looking people that were like bugs in comparison to the beast. On one side a man looked like it was attacking the Kyuubi with fire and some shadowy power, and on the other a man seemed to be trying to bind the monster with mud…or it could've been wood.

Once the teacher was sure that his students had had a good enough look at that image, he advanced to the next slide.

"Kitsune, being fox demons, had two main features that always set them apart from ordinary foxes. Their extra tails," he poked his finger into the light of the projector to highlight that feature in another artist's drawing of a different Kitsune, a gray one with five tails that looked a lot less monstrous than the Kyuubi picture, "and their larger size. Also they could come in some more exotic colors than an ordinary fox, like blue, purple, pink, and green. And unlike foxes, Kitsune could speak the human language, and even transform into human form."

The projector clicked again and the gray Kitsune was replaced by a brown one with four tails, and a beautiful woman in a fine kimono with brown hair standing beside it, with lines between them that implied that they were the same being.

"Were Kitsune still alive today, they would be classified as A-class demons, with potential for some individuals to become S-class demons, like the Kyuubi no Yoko. They possessed illusion and shape-shifting powers comparable to the Tanuki, which still survives today. They were incredibly clever, able to use their powers to insinuate themselves into important niches in human societies and create all manner of chaos. And, in addition to those powers, they also were gifted with a wide variety of elemental magicks—mainly either fire or lightning."

Iruka changed the picture again to a black Kitsune that appeared to be surrounded by five orbs of blue ethereal fire.

"A fun little fact," the chuunin said cheerfully, as he jumped to the next slide that depicted a peach-colored Kitsune playing with a violet-hued ball of lightning. "Whether a Kitsune could make fire or lightning, it was called the same thing: _kitsune-bi_, or foxfire."

Naruto fidgeted with the chess piece in his pocket. The pictures were pretty and all, but the information was boring. The only thing that sounded remotely interesting was the bit about that Kyuubi no Yoko guy. Naruto hoped Iruka would talk more about him and the shinobi who'd kicked his tails after he got all the general information out of the way.

"Folklore about Kitsune, like folklore about all demons, is full of fantasy and lies and only contains fragments of truth," Iruka continued. "For instance, old tales say that the way to determine if someone is truly a Kitsune in disguise is that you must find their tail, as they were believed to be unable to hide the tail that they were born with; you must see how they react to dogs, as dogs will smell the fox in them and bark and the Kitsune will become nervous; and you must watch their diet, as Kitsune were supposedly fond of any sort of fried tofu."

Naruto made a disgusted face. _Fried tofu? Icky!_

"Now the fondness for fried tofu is a meaningless clue," the chuunin said and clicked to a new slide of a person in a kimono with a fox tail. "The hidden fox tail is a bit better, although it is believed that only very young and inexperienced Kitsune, lazy Kitsune, and old Kitsune kept their first tail untransformed and hidden in clothing. Were they still alive today, it would be much harder for them to hide such a feature as clothes have become more close-fitting than they were in the past. The most reliable way to uncover a Kitsune is with dogs—they couldn't hide their fox scent and dogs would pick up on it and try to chase down the vermin that they smelled."

Iruka was about to move on, but spied a raised hand. "Yes, Ami?"

"What about the Uchiha's Sharingan eyes?" Naruto cringed as he heard the voice of one of Sasuke's fans, a girl that had bullied Sakura the most. "They would see through these Kitsune's disguises in an instant, so they're much better than dogs."

"While Kitsune do use illusions, they do not use illusions to take human form," the chuunin answered. "When we use _henge_, we cast a shell of chakra around ourselves that makes us look different, and the Sharingan will see through that easily. But a Kitsune would change their bone, hair, and flesh the same way that a human changes when they become consumed by lycanthropy. It isn't an illusion, and while the Sharingan might notice imperfections in the transformation or the individual's chakra they would not be able to see the fox hiding under the human's skin. That would make the Inuzuka clan a much better detector for disguised Kitsune, if there were any left to be found."

"Oh." Ami sounded horribly disappointed that her handsome Sasuke-kun wouldn't be able to protect her and gain glory by spying out extinct fox demons.

Iruka paused and consulted his little paper of notes and his slides before finding his place and continuing, shifting the current slide to a picture of several different Kitsune with varying numbers of tails.

"The best way to judge a Kitsune's age and power was by the number of tails it possessed. One-tailed Kitsune were the youngest and weakest of all the Kitsune. Every century they lived they would sprout a new tail and their reservoir of power would greatly expand. The highest level of power a Kitsune could reach was to have nine tails, like the Kyuubi no Yoko, and many accounts of such fox demons paint them almost as gods they were so powerful, wise from their long lives, and dangerous."

_It takes a century to grow a new tail?_ Naruto scratched at the back of his head, puzzled. _How'd they get that number?_

"A Kitsune's tails were also its greatest weapon," Iruka continued as he shifted the slides to show two Kitsune battling each other, one with the white tips of its tails lengthened into sharp points like spears, and the other with the white parts of its tails split and curved into claws. "With their shape-shifting magic, they could turn their tails into cutting blades or grasping claws. They could also extend their length two, three, even four times what they usually were, and control them the way an Ushi-oni uses its tentacles. Kitsune's tails were their most prized possession and a mark of status, and to cut one off would drive the Kitsune to seek revenge for it, no matter what the cost, even though the tail would grow back fairly quickly."

Another hand interrupted Iruka. "Yes?"

"What sort of regenerative powers did Kitsune have if they could grow back lost tails?" some kid from Team One asked.

"While they could re-grow tails like many reptile demons could re-grow lost parts, that's the only limb that they could replace," Iruka answered. "Any other healing power they have was closer to that of werewolves, I believe."

"Did silver hurt them?" a boy from Team Five said without raising his hand.

"No, Kitsune had no specific weakness," the chuunin replied. "Sometimes some would imbue part of their spirit and power into crystal orbs that could be stolen and used against them, but it was better to depend on attacking vital points like the heart, spine, and brain with overwhelming force than waste time seeking out some hidden crystal."

"Were they contagious?" a girl from Team Nine called out, also not bothering with her hand.

"No, they were not curse-born like werewolves are," Iruka explained. "Kitsune are born Kitsune and there is no other way to become one. Their bite wasn't curse-laced or venomous, but they did have sharp teeth and strong jaws so it wasn't a good idea to get bitten anyway. They could and did breed freely with humans, and for a few generations the fox blood would be strong enough in the children for them to be considered Kitsune as well."

He glanced around the darkened classroom. "Are there any more questions or can I get back to my lecture?"

After an embarrassed silence, he advanced the slides to a painting of a many-tailed fox leaping at an ancient samurai.

"The crimes of the Kitsune race varied wildly. Some would lead travelers astray with their orbs of ghostly fire and leave them to be preyed upon by others or rob them themselves. Some would steal something valuable from one home and then plant it in the neighbor's house to start a feud. Many would steal from merchants; some would steal by casting illusions on leaves to make them appear to be money to purchase goods with. Some would take the guise of beautiful women to become concubines to powerful nobles so that they could leech on the man's riches. Some would cheat and lie their way into positions of power in noble courts to spread gossip and destroy reputations. If wronged, some would go on rampages until their rages cooled. They were sly, selfish, slippery, shadowy bringers of chaos and crafters of subtle plots, and when they nearly toppled several countries' governments they finally reached their greedy paws too far and paid dearly for it."

Naruto sagged very low in his seat and clenched the chess piece in his hand so hard that the points of the black plastic horse's head almost made his palm bleed.

"There are some old folktales where Kitsune were faithful spouses to kind people, or poets and artists, intellectuals of good reputation who never harmed a soul," the chuunin said. "But such tales are not believable. Kitsune behaved only to their own advantage and viewed humans as tools to their plans or toys to manipulate to their own amusement. If they ever were wives, husbands, poets, artists, or people of knowledge, they played these roles as part of some scheme that could last centuries."

As Iruka ran through more slides of Kitsune disguised as humans or being nefarious and wicked, Naruto looked away to glower at his desk.

_How would you know what they were like? Demon-hunters don't get to know demons. They just kill them._

_

* * *

_

Sasuke hurled his kunai at the practice target with more force than was necessary while he and the other members of Team Seven waited for their tardy sensei to appear. Before he'd left home for Lecture, his older brother had taken him aside for a talk. He was still grinding his teeth over it.

_"If you want to impress father, it would be better if you did well in the upcoming Trials than if you ruined your team's chance for even being entered in the hopes that you __**might**__ find something about your teammate that I won't."_

The Uchiha grunted as he yanked his knives out of the target before pacing back to the throwing line to start over. Itachi had told him that knew that Kakashi had been considering entering them into the Trials that would be starting in barely two months. But because he was leaning on Naruto, the jounin was changing his mind.

_"I don't see why Kakashi would protect someone like him,"_ Sasuke had groused. _"He's no real citizen of Konoha. Isn't he at all curious about what Naruto can do?"_

_ "I'm sure that he's plenty curious,"_ Itachi had replied. _"But he knows better ways of finding out what he wants to know than you do. Let him do his job and focus on improving yourself and your team."_

Sasuke checked his kunai for damage and then started throwing them again, with just as much fury as before.

_"Improving my team?"_ he'd snorted. _"I have a bookworm that only wants my affection, and a strange orphan that is under suspicion. What's the point of improving them when I'll be leaving them behind the moment I get promoted?"_

_ "Think about what I said,"_ Itachi had told him, and then jabbed him in the forehead with two fingers. _"Foolish little brother."_

The dark-haired boy hurled the last of his knives at his target and glowered at it, even though he'd grouped the knives tightly all around the bulls-eye without using his Sharingan.

_What is Itachi up to?_ he wondered. _Is he trying to help me? Or is he trying to hold me back?_

He didn't want to think badly of his older brother. Itachi had always made time for them to play together, and he'd taught Sasuke more than his father ever had about the shinobi arts. But if he backed off Naruto, Itachi alone would get all the credit for anything that was discovered about him, and he would stay the perfect Uchiha son in their father's eyes.

_What should I do?_

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto's voice butted in his thoughts. "Who was this Uchiha Madara person?"

"I-I was wondering that, too," Sakura added timidly (she was always timid with him unless she was already angry about something).

"He was my ancestor and an Uchiha," Sasuke answered, trying not to growl. "He lived a long time ago and killed that Kitsune that Iruka-sensei mentioned and thousands of other demons. That's it."

It was probably true, but he didn't know for sure. He wasn't about to admit to them that he had no idea who Madara had been. He'd never heard the name before.

The next time that he saw his brother he resolved to find out more.

_Poof!_

"Sorry I'm late!" their sensei said cheerfully as he appeared on the scene. "There was a crying little girl who'd lost her puppy and I had a terrible time finding it for her."

"Liar!" Naruto and Sakura snapped, even though this excuse was almost believable.

Sasuke watched Naruto, in his obnoxious orange clothes, out of the corner of his eyes.

_ I suppose I'll back off for now… But if I ever find a weak spot, I'll dig at it until he tells me. I'll just make sure that no one else is around to see me do it._

_

* * *

_

Sarutobi Hiruzen peered over the edge of the form he was studying at Uchiha Fugaku.

"You want me to approve expenses and time for Itachi to travel to Yokoshima…why?"

"Yokoshima is one of the most corrupt cities in the Land of Fire," Fugaku replied. "I want him to check on a few leads in some cases for the Military Police."

"What cases?" the Hokage inquired politely.

"A few older cases with some loose ends," Fugaku answered, staying very vague.

Hiruzen didn't like that non-answer. "They must be important cases to send your clan's heir off to look into them."

"Itachi hasn't had much experience on solo investigations outside of Konoha," Fugaku said. "I'd like for him to have more."

The Hokage gave him a hard stare for another minute before setting the papers down on his desk, notating them, signing them, and stamping them with his seal.

"I'll give him one month," he decided as he handed Fugaku the copies he needed back. "That should give Itachi enough time to reach the city, and return from the city, with plenty of time to investigate in-between. If he needs more time, I need to have good reasons before I'll approve any extension."

"Understood," Fugaku grunted.

"You may manage your own personnel however you like within the village walls," the Hokage reminded him. "But when you send them to investigate beyond Konoha, I need to know about it. My office needs to know which shinobi are available at all times in case of emergency."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Fugaku bowed, still irritated by the Hokage's curiosity, and left the office.

Hiruzen sighed and puffed on his pipe as he dumped his own copies of Fugaku's paperwork in his outbox and eyed the much larger stack waiting in his inbox wearily.

_It never ends…_

A tap at one of his windows stopped him from reaching for the form at the top of that stack. He turned to see one of his ANBU waiting for him there. The masked hunter had a black folder and a manila envelope in his hand. The Hokage waved his ANBU in and accepted the delivery.

"This is the report?"

"Yes, sir," the man with the bird mask nodded.

"Tell the door chuunin that I don't want to be bothered for the next half hour unless it's a dire emergency," the Hokage commanded as he returned to his chair to read.

"_Hai_!" the ANBU bowed and vanished.

Hiruzen settled into his set and carefully read each page of the report tucked away in the black folder. When he finished with it, he opened the envelope and pulled out a clear plastic bag with a bio-hazard stamp on it. Inside was a broken knife blade that was nearly black with a few smaller metallic fragments.

_Disgusting._

He put the bag back in the envelope and put it and the black folder into one of his protected drawers. He locked the drawer with a seal so that it would be safe until he brought it home with him in the evening. Seeing that he still have nearly ten minutes left to himself before he had to get back to immediate business, the Hokage leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the last of the tobacco in his pipe.

Exhaling smoke, he turned to gaze out his leftmost window, towards Training Ground 41—the Forest of Death.

_So you play checkers…_

_ …Interesting._


	8. Fever Dreams and Nightmares

**Chapter 7**

_Fever Dreams and Nightmares_

He hovered in a black place. There was no sense of time—no day, no night, no clock. He felt like he had no substance, no body, like he was a ghost.

Voices whispered around him. Familiar voices: his old teammates, his students, friends long gone. He couldn't make out their words, but the sound of them comforted him in the blackness.

He wanted to get closer to them, see them, touch them, smell them…

But they were dead—all of them dead.

For all that he was a grown man and weary of living, death still frightened him. He wanted to be with those he loved that were dead, but if he did that would mean that he was dead too. He would have to face them as a monster and spend an eternity in shame.

He wanted to go to them. He wanted to flee from death. And so he hovered in the blackness and went nowhere.

…But, slowly, incrementally, he drifted away from the familiar whispers and the realms of the dead.

His existence after that melted into a tangle of delirium.

The moon grew full, grew enormous, and fell from the sky and crushed him…

_He smelled the food, he groped for it, he ate it._

…Sensei was away checking that old Tengu nest to see if it was really abandoned, the moon was full, and the client was a werewolf, and it was killing them while he just lay there with a deep bite in his shoulder and there was just so much blood…

_He smelled the food, he felt around for the metal bowl, and he devoured it, vaguely surprised that he had any appetite at all._

…He was the werewolf and after he tore the Oni to pieces he turned to Kakashi and Rin and tore them to pieces too because he was a monster now and that was what he was supposed to do…

_He smelled the food and a faint medicine scent but he was so hungry he ignored it as he wolfed down the food._

…The moon was full, it turned red, it turned into a giant eye, and the stars in the night sky turned into silver rain…

_He smelled the food and as he ate it he realized it was dog food but he kept eating it because he was so hungry._

…They were arguing and she accused him of stringing her along, of not loving her, and he told her that wasn't true and blurted out that he was a werewolf and he didn't want to hurt her…

_He smelled the food and while he was eating it he felt a part of a pill in his mouth, but he wasn't worried; if there was medicine in his food it must be to make him well so he should eat it._

…His sensei hugged him and then plunged a silver blade into his back and sorrowfully said he should've done it in the beginning…

_He was wet and the air smelled like a locker room shower and strong disinfecting soap. There was a chain around his neck and wrists and warm water was beating on his back. Hands and brushes rubbed at his hide._

_ "What shitty luck, stuck giving a werewolf a flea bath!"_

_ "Oh shut up and keep scrub—__**Shit!**__ The water's bringing him around! Get the tranquilizers!"_

…She came to him on the roof and hugged him and said that she didn't care, she loved him, she wasn't afraid, and she knew that he could never hurt her, and he clung to her and cried because she knew and didn't care…

_He smelled the food but hesitated because he thought that there might be sedatives in it and it was dog food—the cheap stuff, not the high-quality mix the Inuzukas fed their dogs—but he ate it anyway because if he didn't eat he'd never regain his strength._

…The moon's power buzzed through his veins and he fled, terrified that he would hurt them now that the curse had consumed him; he ran from Rin and Kakashi until he found a pile of rocks, a fresh landslide, and saw the blood, and when he moved some rocks he saw the bloody hand, and he knew the scent, and he howled in horror and sorrow and regret that he wasn't able to save Obito, too…

_The moon was full and even though he couldn't see it the celestial body still held strong sway over him. He paced his small cell that felt so much smaller now and felt out the walls because he could barely see them. They tried to sedate him, but the drugs only made it harder to think than it already was. His thoughts were like cold syrup—slow and sticky. The wolf's desires were sharper, faster, and he started gnawing on the bars to try and escape, even as the metal cut his gums so that he tasted his own blood. His captors were fearful; he could smell it. Their fear agitated the wolf and he chewed harder at the bars. Before things could get out of hand the sun rose, the moon's power was gone, and he collapsed into darkness._

…His son ran to him, but the boy's hair kept shifting between blond and red, and when the child blinked its eyes they would change from bright sky-blue to deep blue-gray and back again, and then when the boy reached him he turned into a miniature werewolf that had spots of red and yellow fur, and the werewolf-son lunged to tear his throat out…

_He smelled the food, saw the glint of the metal bowl, and ate the food._

…The full moon made him jittery as he hid out in his apartment from its light and when she came to visit him he thought of a way to try and burn off that energy; she made no protest when he started kissing her, and when he starting peeling her clothes off, but when he tried to pull her necklace off she got angry and threatened to bite his ear off if he touched it again—it had been her mother's and she'd never take it off…

_He smelled the food, found the food, and ate it._

…The horde of Eastern Imps seemed endless and no matter how many he killed there was always more, and when the green and the brown ape-like demons overran his comrades he snapped and started changing even though the moon wasn't full and it wasn't even nighttime, and after he'd torn all the Imps apart with his own claws he turned on his own his own comrades because he was a monster in a rage and only death would stop him…

_He smelled the food, pulled the bowl closer to where he lay, and devoured it, managing to conclude that they'd upped the dose of sedatives before he dozed off._

…He sat beside her on a blanket in the park and fingered her child-swollen belly while she teased him yet again about how he'd fainted when she told him, but his mind was more on the fear that always slithered behind him—the fear that somehow he would spread his curse to the unborn child and ruin the child's life before it had even begun…

_He smelled the food and the acrid odor of smoke, but food was more important so he ate it instead of worrying about the possibility of a fire._

…He howled at the full moon and then she appeared and hugged him and whispered that she still loved him and he tore her to shred with his claws and teeth because werewolves always destroy the people and things that they love most…

_He smelled the food and ate it, dimly noting that it tasted a bit different._

…He was the werewolf and he sat out in the woods far from home, baffled by an insane human nudist that told him that he was trespassing and since he wasn't one of the wolves who had gone insane from the change he could go back to being a man if he wanted to, but he should find his own forest to do that in, and then the nudist turned into a werewolf and loped off, and he wondered if he could really do that, too…

_He smelled the food and ate it and wondered why he didn't feel queasy after eating anymore and why his joints didn't ache and why the silver wasn't burning his back and was it just him or was he suddenly able to make out the bars of his cell and why did his head feel clearer than it had in a long, long time._

…In the throes of passion he bit her shoulder the way that the client-werewolf had bitten him years and years before and then the full moon rose and they became wolf-monsters together—he the golden-yellow wolf and she a wolf that was blood-red—and they ran off into the forest together to howl at the moon and be beasts forever…

_He woke before the food was brought to him and wondered why, and he wondered if there was a way he could persuade his captors to feed him something more palatable than dog food, and then he spied some smudges of color—something he hadn't been able to distinguish in a long time, and he wondered about it hard._

…It was stupid for him to stay so close to the village in his condition and he should leave while he still had the power to, but he didn't want to go, he'd never belonged anywhere else—the fox creature came again, as it had for several full moons, and he decided to challenge its intelligence with a game of checkers, and as it was coaxed into playing with him he wondered just what exactly it was as it smelled like a fox, and a bit like a wolf and a human, and just how did such a thing come to exist…

_He sat in the far corner of his cell and ran the leathery pads at the tips of his fingers over his pelt and marveled over the fine fuzz that was starting to grow in his bald patches and how it was a little bit harder to feel his bones under his skin. The lighting where he was kept was poor, but if he squinted he could almost make out the bars that imprisoned him and the silhouettes of the ANBU that guarded him. He toyed with the idea of escaping, but his eyesight was too weak and he couldn't get a good enough grasp on his seal markers to warp anywhere, so he remained and tried to make the best of things. It wasn't time for him to be fed yet so he closed his eyes and tried to sleep because there really wasn't anything else for him to do._

…It was a beautiful day as he strolled through the village in search of some present to buy for his girlfriend's summer birthday when an Uchiha, a member of the Military Police, walked up to him and stabbed him with a silver blade and told him that they knew what he was and then other Uchiha came and stabbed him with more silver knives and it burned horribly…

_He smelled tobacco smoke and woke to find a white and red shape standing before his cell. When he identified the visitor, he pressed his belly to the floor in full submission—the wolf submitted to the Alpha, and the man bowed to his master. The air was silent and tense._

_ "Whatever am I going to do with you?"_

_ The werewolf wondered that, too._

_

* * *

_

Naruto wandered the village streets, delaying his return to Iruka's apartment for a little while longer. Time had gone from flying by to crawling by and back again since the last full moon. The next full moon was only days away and it would be the first time that he knew Ookami-jiji wouldn't be there waiting for him.

In the past few weeks he'd trained, done D-ranks, gone to Lecture classes, and even gone on another C-rank. This second C-rank had been a true C-rank, not like the mission to Wave Country at all. They'd traveled to a small village in the south of Fire Country and exterminated a nest of small demonic insects. He and Sakura had sealed off the subterranean nest with exploding tags and Sasuke had burned any escapees off with fire jutsu and that had been the end of it.

Lately, Sasuke had gone back to ignoring Naruto instead of trying to intimidate him. Naruto had almost started to believe that Sasuke's brother had convinced him to give up his quest, but one time when they'd been alone together after practice the Uchiha had darkly warned him that things weren't over and he was still going to find out what his secret was. The blond boy thought about reporting Sasuke's threat to Kakashi-sensei, but he didn't. He wanted to go try out the Trials and if their sensei thought that Sasuke was still being a nosy brat they wouldn't be able to participate.

_I wish I could've burned up some of those demon bugs_, Naruto pouted, even though the mission had been a whole week ago. _I wanted to see what my fire would do to those things._

Naruto glanced up at the sky and decided that it was time for him to head in—

A body knocked into him and Naruto tumbled down on the sidewalk and the black chess piece in his pocket fell out onto the concrete.

"What's this?" Sasuke picked up the plastic horse head and studied it critically. "A good-luck charm?"

"Give that back, you jerk!" Naruto snarled, leaping to his feet.

Naruto reached for the chess piece, but Sasuke kept it out of his reach.

"This piece of junk is important to you?" the Uchiha sneered. "How important?"

"Quit being a dick and give it back!" Naruto demanded, feeling himself start to sweat.

"Why should I?" Sasuke shot back, tossing the game piece in the palm of his hand.

"It's mine!" Naruto snapped. "You don't see me stealing your stuff."

"Like you could steal anything of mine," Sasuke scoffed. "Now how important is this thing to you? What would you do to get it back?"

Naruto clenched his fists tightly and desperately tried to think of a way to get his precious keepsake back.

"How about you tell me how you really defeated that Kiri-nin?" Sasuke suggested.

"Why do you care so much about that?" Naruto sputtered. "Can't you find some other way to impress your dad?"

Sasuke gave him a sharp look. "What makes you think I need to find that out to make my dad notice me?"

Naruto shrugged. "Just give it back. I need to get going. It's late."

"Tell me what I want to know and you'll get it back," Sasuke insisted. "Here, I'll help you make up your mind. I'll count to three and if you don't tell me I'll melt it with a fireball."

Panic choked him and Naruto rushed at Sasuke to reclaim his possession only to get knocked back by a solid kick to the chest that winded him.

"One… Two… Three…"

Not having received the information that he desired, Sasuke backed up a few steps, threw the chess piece high into the air, started the hand seals—

_Thwip!_

Both boys turned to the left and found a giant of a man standing nearby.

He was tall with wooden sandals that added another few inches to his height and broad shoulders. He had shaggy white hair that was tied back in a tail and so long that Naruto wondered if the guy ever cut it. He had red lines tattooed on his cheeks that ran from under his eyes down to his jaw line and what looked like a wart by his nose. He wore a red vest over drab green clothing and fish nets, a heavy pack and giant scroll on his back, and there was a metal guard over his forehead with two small horn-like projections and the kanji for "oil" painted on it.

A green toad sat on the man's shoulder. It was clearly a demon due to the tufts of white hair on its head and the black cloak it wore. As it was welcome in the village, it had to be part of a demon clan that was bound by a summoning contract, which made it a trustworthy ally.

The toad had caught the airborne chess piece with its tongue and now the amphibian spat the black bit of plastic into its webbed hand and offered it to the giant man.

"Thank you," the man said with his deep voice to the little demon toad. "Now, what's the trouble here?"

"He was going to melt it if I didn't tell him how I beat this guy who kicked his ass!" Naruto said before Sasuke could give his own answer.

"Oh ho!" the tall man chuckled. "Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded vigorously.

"No!" Sasuke growled at nearly the same time.

The white-haired stranger walked up to them and pressed the black chess piece into Naruto's hand.

"Run along home now kid, and you"—he jabbed a finger at Sasuke—"get over it."

Naruto immediately bolted for Iruka's apartment before anything else happened.

_I need a better place to keep this,_ he thought as he clutched the plastic horse head tightly in his right hand. _I can't let that bastard get his hands on it again…_

_ …And who was that old weirdo?_

_

* * *

_

Orochimaru stood over his worktable in one of his underground bases tucked away in the Land of Rice Paddies and critically studied the crumbling ancient scroll that some of his most talented minions had managed to steal for him. The pursuit of knowledge and power was his life's work and unlike most he didn't let things like morality, ethics, and his old sensei get in his way. His expulsion from Konohagakure no Sato had made things a bit difficult for him, but he could work with it.

He'd never been widely popular in Konoha as he was a half-reptile demon that had been abandoned shortly after birth by his human mother. There had always been whispers and worries that his demon half was the dominant half. Orochimaru felt that it was, and was glad—he would hate to be as weak and emotional as a pure human.

In some ways, it was actually good that he was no longer a part of Konoha. He didn't have to worry about balancing missions with his research and keeping that research hidden under the Hokage's nose. He had lost easy access to human test subjects with shinobi lineage or potential, but he didn't have the problems that he used to have in smuggling in demons to experiment on.

"Orochimaru-dono."

The snake-eyed man looked away from his study of the scroll to find Kimimaro standing in the doorway of his small laboratory.

"A group of three shinobi wish to meet with you," the pale teenager informed him respectfully. "The leader says he is Kurohi Yuudai of Uzugakure no Sato."

"Uzu-nin?" Orochimaru purred curiously. "Hmm… Gather your subordinates and escort our guests to my audience chamber."

Kimimaro bowed and departed to carry out his orders.

Intrigued by this unexpected visit, Orochimaru rolled the scroll back up, secured his lab, and headed for his audience chamber with no delay. The room he used to meet with those outside his organization wasn't particularly grand, but it served him well enough. His chair was comfortable and imposing and was on a raised platform that forced his visitors to look up at him.

As he settled into his chair, he stewed on not achieving the position of Hokage. It was the one thing that he truly desired but could no longer achieve now that he was exiled from the village of Konoha. And for running him out of town, his old sensei would pay, and pay dearly…

Before his cunning mind could slide down the familiar track of plotting vengeance against the Leaf, his guests were escorted in by Kimimaro, Tayuya, Kidoumaru, Jirobou, Sakon and Ukon. Two of the shinobi wore masks that were similar to Konoha's ANBU, only they were solid black with colored patterns instead of white. The third shinobi wore no mask and was obviously this leader: Kurohi Yuudai.

He looked to be thirty at the oldest with sharp, handsome features. His hair was a blue so dark that it was almost black and his eyes were a shade of green so bright they almost seemed to glow in the dim light of the chamber. The hitai-ate he wore around his neck bore the spiral of the Whirlpool Village.

Beyond that, all three demon-hunters wore the same basic attire. They were dressed in long black coats, and the two masked men had their hoods up to hide their hair. All three were armed with swords and whatever other weapons they possessed they'd either surrendered or had hidden on their persons out of sight.

"Orochimaru-sama," Yuudai greeted with a bow that his two guards imitated silently. "You are a hard man to find. It is an honor to finally meet you."

"It is rare that I have guests who I did not invite," the snake man remarked. "What is it that you desire Kurohi Yuudai of Uzugakure no Sato?"

"I wish to work out some kind of agreement between my village and yours," the Uzu-nin replied. "You have knowledge that we desire and I believe we have at least one goal in common."

"And what goal would that be?"

"The destruction of Konohagakure no Sato," Yuudai answered.

"An ambitious goal for a small village like yours," Orochimaru said with a raised eyebrow. "And a questionable one. Uzugakure no Sato has long been an ally of Konoha's."

"Our relationship with the Leaf has soured as of late," Yuudai informed him. "We wish to elevate our status above that of a lesser village and no longer depend on any tie with a 'greater' demon-hunter organization. And we desire revenge for the laxness that allowed a closeted werewolf to fornicate with one of our women."

"So you wish for the power to wage war and conquer far beyond your means," the half-demon summarized. "What makes you think that I could assist you in that venture?"

"We know that some of your research involves finding ways of controlling large numbers of demons, including chaotic forces like werewolves," Yuudai replied. "We are willing to exchange what information our village has on that subject along with other lines of your research, and furnish you with a few rare test subjects, in order to gain this information and whatever cooperation you are willing to give us in toppling the Leaf Village."

"You want to use werewolves against Konoha?" Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "A sort of poetic justice, I suppose." He leaned forward in his seat and narrowed his serpentine eyes at the younger Uzu-nin. "What sort of 'rare test subjects' are you offering me?"

"Our village is too small to spare any of our shinobi," Yuudai admitted, "but we have access to a wide variety of sea demons, a few species of sea dragon, and…we may even be able to provide you with a few Kitsune."

That caught the snake's attention immediately.

"Kitsune?" he scoffed. "They are long extinct."

"Are they?" Yuudai smirked smugly. "If we provide you with one, will you make a deal with us? I'm sure that one would greatly aid your research into longevity and immortality."

The Uzu-nin was right, and Orochimaru wasn't sure that he liked that. But a Kitsune to experiment on was a priceless gift. And an ally against the Leaf Village was nearly as good.

"…If you can bring me one, I will strike a deal with you," Orochimaru agreed after several minutes of consideration.

"Thank you, Orochimaru-sama," Yuudai said with a deep bow, that his guards once again mimicked. "However, it will take time to get a hold of such a rare prize for you. May we work out some of the details of our bargain now so that as soon as the Kitsune is in your possession we can get to work?"

"My, you're a confident one," Orochimaru hissed and licked his lips with his overly long tongue as he leaned back in his chair. "Very well. What other details do you wish to discuss?"

"What plans do you have for attacking the Leaf Village?"

"Aren't you in a hurry…" The half-snake drummed his fingertips on the armrests of his chair. "Here are a few of the things of I was thinking of doing…"


	9. Secrets Under Moonlight

**Chapter 8**

_Secrets Under Moonlight_

Itachi sat on the edge of a rooftop on the fringes of Yokoshima and sighed. The city was an absolute cesspool. And it was also a dead-end, just as he'd thought it would be.

When he'd paid the social services office a visit, he found that there wasn't a single staffer who had been there long enough to have processed Naruto's entry into the foster care system. From what he could tell of the place, it wasn't a stretch for the boy's case worker to have been paid off to overlook all the problems in his paperwork and just get him started with his first family. Naruto's birth family, whoever they were, had been very thorough in getting rid of him.

The only way they could've done better was to have killed him and incinerated his body.

At least his stay was almost done and he was pretty much out of places to look. In a few days, he'd be free to return home and report to his father that he'd found nothing. No doubt this total lack of information would only drive his father to dig harder and deeper. Uchiha Fugaku hated not finding out what he wanted to know.

Sighing deeply, Itachi looked down into the streets below and watched the civilians of Yokoshima go on about their business. Even though the sun had set an hour ago the sidewalks were still crowded and Itachi had to wonder if the people ever slept. And—

His attention was immediately drawn to a trio of figures in the crowd. Activating his Sharingan he sharpened his visual perceptions and drank in every detail. They wore long coats with hoods and moved through the civilians in formation and with purpose. If they weren't shinobi or mercenaries of some kind, Itachi would give up dango forever.

Using all his stealth and skill and a minor genjutsu cloak, the Uchiha stalked his targets. If they were of the Leaf, he'd reveal himself and see what they were in Yokoshima for. If they were foreigners, he'd stay undercover and see what they were up to, because if they were in Yokoshima he doubted they were doing anything legal.

The mysterious trio wound through street after street, always heading into seedier territory. Eventually they came to a very small gambling house and slipped inside. Itachi left the rooftops, hid his hitai-ate and all obvious signs that he was a ninja, adjusted his genjutsu cloak, and followed them in.

The establishment was a pachinko parlor and Itachi settled himself in front of a game machine that was close to the dark corner where the trio had gone to. They sat there, sipping at drinks at a table. He sat at his pachinko machine and made no real effort to win anything. And time crawled by…

Some time later, three other individuals joined the original three and ordered their own drinks. They too wore hooded coats and took some pains to hide their identities and be forgettable. Itachi watched them in his peripheral vision and strained his ears to hear them over the noisy gambling machines.

"So when can the master expect his prize?" one of the newcomers asked.

"One week, maybe a little longer," was the reply.

"You Uzu-nin work fast," the same newcomer remarked.

"This matter is important to us," was the answer from the supposed Uzu-nin. "We have no time to waste, Oto-nin."

Oto-nin—a ninja of Otogakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Sound. They were a new group, a lesser organization that had sprung up less than five years before, made up of rogues and dissatisfied hunters of other villages who'd been lured away by the promise of a fresh start. Little was known about them beyond their symbol—a musical eighth note—and a rumor of them being based somewhere in the Land of Rice Paddies.

Itachi listened harder.

"Alright," the Oto-nin nodded. "Upon your delivery of the creature to these coordinates"—a piece of paper was slid over the tabletop—"and its confirmation of species, our master will provide you with the knowledge that your village seeks. At that time, further discussion of future plans will also take place."

"Understood," the Uzu-nin said. "My village looks forward to it."

The two talkers rose, shook hands, and the two groups of three parted ways. The Uzu-nin left first, and Itachi made no move to follow them. When the Oto-nin finished their drinks and left the building, Itachi tailed them.

Shinobi of the Whirlpool Village were more of a known quantity than demon-hunters of the Sound Village, so it was more important that he followed them. The Oto-nin moved at an easy pace, but they made no detours in leaving the city. When Itachi couldn't follow them any farther without using a heavier genjutsu, he stopped and let them leave the city fringes for the nearest border with their home country.

He returned to the heart of the city to see if he could find the Uzu-nin again, but he knew the search would most likely be in vain. The foreign hunters would most likely be on their way home. Yokoshima was less than three hours of hard traveling away from the border between Fire Country and Whirlpool Country so it was very easy for them to disappear.

_Uzu and Oto…_ Itachi frowned and glanced up at the bright full moon that hung low overhead. _What are they planning?_

_ I need to let Hokage-sama know about this as soon as possible._

_

* * *

_

Naruto slunk through the forest surrounding the village, at a loss as to what he should do. With Ookami-jiji gone, he had no checkers game to get to. Kakashi-sensei was with him again, but the jounin just seemed content to follow him and hang on to Naruto's backpack for him.

_Could I find some way to ask Kakashi-sensei to train me?_ the fox-boy wondered as he crept around on all-fours. _It's not like I have anything else to do, and I'm not going to sleep so…_

A smell distracted him. Weird smells, strange sounds, and moving things seemed to catch his attention a lot more when he was furry. And he'd been trying to pay more attention to smells and sounds all the time now, after Kakashi-sensei had remarked how he could smell Naruto's fear that one time.

_What is it?_ He pressed his wet black nose to the ground, inhaled, and sneezed when a bit of dirt got in his nose. _Ick! …What is it?_

Intrigued, and with nothing else better to do, he tried his hand at scent tracking. It couldn't be hard. He just sniffed around and followed the smell. Kiba and Akamaru did it all the time, so he should be able to do it easily.

_It went this way! …No, this way! Or…did it go this way? Or did it—ew! Is that poop?_

In his pursuit of the smell, he'd come across a scattering of tiny, round pellets that sort of smelled like…

_It __**is**__ poop!_

Naruto wrinkled his snout in disgust and sneezed.

_Nasty!_

_ …I have to be following an animal._

Carefully walking around the tiny mess, he found the trail again and went back to following it. It was a slow process as he had no practice at going on smell alone. But there was a first time for everything and he was curious to see what woodland critter he had scented.

And then he found it. He had smelled a rabbit. The brown creature was small and hard to see in the dark, and it sat so still he almost missed it. Naruto stood frozen and wondered…

_Could I catch it?_

Rabbits were fast and agile. But in his bestial form, so was he. Surely he was faster than an ordinary rabbit.

Naruto crouched down, wiggled his bushy tail, and lunged—

The rabbit bolted, darting away from him as his claws just grazed its fur—

—And the chase was on!

If the chase had gone in a straight line, Naruto would've won and caught the rabbit. But the animal zigzagged, and it was dark, and there were trees and bushes in the way. So the rabbit was winning.

_No stupid animal is going to beat me!_ Naruto thought fiercely as he ricocheted off a tree trunk after the bounding rabbit made a crazy-tight turn. _Come back here, damn it! I'm gonna catch you!_

They went left. They went right. It went under a log and he jumped over it. Twice he almost managed to catch one of its long back feet, but both times it slipped out of his grasp. It ran around a clump of bushes and he cut through them—

He tripped over a root or a stone—

He tumbled nose over tail down a drop-off behind the bushes—

_Whump!_

Naruto hit something solid and came to a stop upside-down.

_…Ow._

"What the hell?"

Naruto stiffened, rolled over, and tried to flee…but a hand caught the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the ground. He dangled in the air for a moment, and instinctively curled up like he was a puppy in his mother's jaws. And then the hand turned him so that he could see the white-haired man who'd captured him.

"What are you?"

_It's that guy from a couple days ago! The guy with the toad who saved Ookami-jiji's chess piece! And…oh crap, he's got me._

_ Crap, crap, crap!_

"That would be Naruto, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi-sensei said as he walked onto the scene.

"This is…" The man squinted at him. "Really?"

"Really."

The man, Jiraiya, frowned at Naruto. He used the hand that wasn't holding the fox-boy's scruff to examine Naruto's tail, paws, and head. When a finger irritated his ear, Naruto slapped the hand away.

"Huh." Jiraiya lowered him to the ground, but didn't let go of his neck fur. "Why does he look like a fox?"

"He smells a lot like one, too," Kakashi-sensei informed him. "And we don't know why."

The white-haired man gave him another long look. "…Interesting."

_Not really,_ Naruto thought as he tried to back away, but couldn't because Jiraiya hadn't let him go yet. _I'm not interesting at all!_

"So, you really let him change with the moon," the man muttered. "And he stays lucid? There's no increase in aggression?"

"From what he claims, he's in perfect control of himself no matter his shape. But the way he chased that rabbit makes me wonder…"

_I just wanted to catch it! I wasn't going to eat it. That's gross!_

"That was a rabbit chase, eh?" Jiraiya finally let go of Naruto's neck and patted him on his fuzzy head. "Better luck next time you little furball."

Naruto glared and flattened his ears. _I'm not a furball!_

"He makes a cute little critter," the white-haired man remarked. "I'm sure that Minato would've liked him."

_Eh?_ Naruto tilted his head curiously. _Who's Minato?_

"Probably," Kakashi-sensei said. "But let's not talk about that now. Naruto has daddy issues."

_I have—_ Naruto bristled and scooted backwards a bit. _That's __**his**__ name, isn't it?_

"See?" his sensei said, gesturing towards him. "He says his werewolf heritage got him disowned and washed through the foster care system."

"So Sarutobi-sensei told me," Jiraiya grunted. "Although I find it hard to believe that a kid wouldn't be the least bit curious about the people he came from."

Naruto snorted in disgust and turned around to sit with his back to the two adults to show his disdain for the subject of their conversation.

"Brat," Jiraiya grumbled. "And here I was prepared to tutor the kid, maybe even take him on as an apprentice. I think I've changed my mind."

_Tutor me?_ Naruto peered over his shoulder. _Make me his apprentice?_

"Don't be so hasty, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi-sensei advised. "You can study him while you teach him. That is, if you're still interested in werewolves."

"I was more interested in finding a cure," Jiraiya replied. "Not that my efforts ever did Minato any good…"

"Naruto also has some interesting non-werewolf traits, too." The silver-haired jounin turned to the fox boy. "Why don't you show him your little fire trick?"

Naruto turned back to face them and held his hand palm-up. He concentrated his chakra to spark the fire, and was surprised at how quick and easy it was. When he made the fire with minimal transformation it took more effort and concentration.

The white-haired hunter frowned at the blue fire orb that hovered inches over Naruto's claw tips.

"That looks like _kitsune-bi_."

The fox-boy went very still and the little fireball winked out like a light bulb.

"It does," Kakashi-sensei agreed. "I'd ask about it, but any probing into his background makes him dangerously skittish. He looked like he was having a meltdown when we were trying to confirm his parentage a couple of months ago."

Jiraiya gave Naruto a long, hard stare. Naruto looked back and gulped. He wasn't sure what he thought of this man. The giant had saved his precious keepsake from Sasuke, but he also appeared to think highly of Naruto's werewolf father which didn't make him seem very smart.

_Any extra training is good training…right?_

"…I _suppose_ I'll give him a trial run," the man said at last. "If he impresses me—_if_—then I'll see about further training." Jiraiya stood up from the ground, dusted off his pants, and patted Naruto's head roughly as he strode off into the dark woods. "Remember, brat, impress me!"

Naruto shook himself a bit and huffed at Jiraiya's retreating back.

_Weirdo!_

"You hear that, Naruto?" Kakashi-sensei said to him. "Impress the man. Look him up after the next team practice."

_Okay,_ Naruto nodded, and then started sniffing the air. _Now where did that rabbit go…_

"And no more rabbits tonight."

_Darn it!_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke sat on the back porch of his house and glared up at the night sky. Nothing seemed to be going his way, not since the mission to Wave. His performance hadn't impressed his father, he couldn't get the bit of information that _would_ impress his father, and Itachi had been gone for weeks now so he had no training partner for working with his Sharingan.

_At least I found a weak point on Naruto,_ he thought. _I need to steal that black knight from him again, and make sure there are no interruptions. He really wanted that cheap bit of plastic back._

The sound of footsteps on the wooden boards of the porch distracted him from his thoughts and Sasuke turned…to find his father approaching. He unconsciously straightened up and waited to see what his father would do. His dad probably wouldn't stop to speak with him, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

His father stopped and sat beside him.

"Your mother tells me that you asked about Uchiha Madara."

Sasuke nodded.

He'd intended to ask Itachi after he'd heard the name in class, but by the time he'd returned home his brother had left the village. When it became clear that his brother would be gone for weeks, he'd asked his mother about the name, but she'd gotten nervous and told him to ask his father. Sasuke was leery about trying to talk to his father without being approached first because he was always so busy that he'd decided to wait until Itachi came home to find out about this Kitsune-slaying ancestor.

"Why?"

"Iruka-sensei gave Lecture on the Kitsune and the name came up," Sasuke replied. "I'd never heard it before and I was curious."

"I see." His father stared over their back lawn for a moment. "Uchiha Madara once led our clan, and was instrumental in the founding of Konohagakure no Sato. Along with Senju Hashirama he gathered together the first clans and was almost made the first Hokage."

"What happened to him?" Sasuke asked. _If he's so great, how come I never heard of him before?_

"He used dangerous techniques and overtaxed his Sharingan. He ruined his eyesight and was left nearly blind. The Uchiha's strength is the Sharingan and without his vision he was left almost useless. Desperate to restore his sight, he shamed himself and the entire clan."

Sasuke was shocked. "He shamed the Uchiha?"

"Yes," his father nodded grimly. "Healing techniques could not restore his sight—any benefit they gave him was undone with the next demon hunt. Many demons have the power to heal themselves, but humans can't become demons. But Madara heard a rumor that he felt would be the solution to his problem."

"A rumor?" Sasuke repeated, knowing that he sounded stupid but so drawn in to his father's scandalous tale that he couldn't help himself.

"Madara heard whispers of a creature native to far western lands, a creature whose bite could change the victim into a monster. He traveled to find this curse-born beast and incited one to bite him. The curse infected him and the healing powers it brought slowly restored his sight. But not too long after he returned to the village, the curse drove him mad and he spread his magical disease to whoever he could reach."

Sasuke gaped at his father's profile, too stunned to spit out even a stupid question.

"He became a werewolf and was single-handedly responsible for spreading the affliction of lycanthropy to our continent. With the shinobi still fixated on the Great Hunt for Kitsune, the problem Madara caused was not properly addressed. By the time the Kitsune were officially declared extinct, lycanthropy was becoming an epidemic."

His father paused and turned to face him with a grim expression.

"The Uchiha clan was held responsible for Madara's crimes. It didn't matter that he'd been a good man before the wolf bite. Others saw the madness of his curse and thought that he'd always been mad, power-hungry, and dangerous. And they attributed those same tendencies to the rest of the clan.

"We bear the shame of his mistakes, and every day the whole clan struggles to overcome the dishonor he put upon us. We must be the best that we can be to prove that we are not him, that we are better than him, and that we will never become him. And to make up for his crime of bringing lycanthropy to the land, we must slay every werewolf we can find to try and cleanse our corner of the world of this disease.

"Do you understand, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded emphatically.

"I understand, Father."

* * *

Jiraiya sat up in a tree and watched as Kakashi set up a tracking exercise for Naruto with the help of some of his dog Summons. The fox-boy (werefox, if there was such a thing) had been rather put out at not being allowed to track rabbits, so the silver-haired jounin was trying to find some other way to put his energy to use. It was interesting to observe the little demon dogs lay down ever more complex trails and watch the boy blunder through them.

_If only Minato was here to see this…_

He'd known that it had been likely to happen—that Minato could one day be consumed by his lycanthropy. From that one horrible night when Minato's teammates had been slaughtered and Minato bitten, he'd known that the possibility was real and strong. Minato had managed so well for a long time, though; and that was probably why it had been such a rude shock when it had finally happened.

There was simply no way to hide from the moon forever.

When it had first been clear that the curse had taken hold of his student—the first time his skin had burned from contact with silver—Jiraiya should've ended him, quickly and painlessly. He made the excuse that he wanted to find a cure, a way to break the curse, and so he kept his student alive (and lied about the incident, blaming a canine demon so that no one would suspect anything) to be a guinea pig. But it was a flimsy excuse, and he'd never really been able to test anything on him out of fear that it would fail and Minato would transform and be lost.

The truth was that he'd been weak. He'd lost two out of the three children that had been placed in his care. The one that he had left was so brilliant, so trusting, so _good_. He just couldn't do it. Even if Minato had been exposed to the full moon in front of him and turned into a beast that tried to bite him, he wouldn't have been able to slay his beloved pupil.

_I'm just like Sarutobi-sensei that way,_ he thought. _He couldn't kill Orochimaru, even knowing what he did to those people. I couldn't kill Minato, even if I tried._

The toad summoner closed his eyes and tried to turn his thoughts away from his lost student. Lamenting over the past would only get in the way of the present. And the present was figuring out what to do with his godson.

After Minato's discovery and disgrace, Jiraiya had gone into self-imposed exile, unable to bear the ugly whispers about his protégé. Kushina had left not long after that for the same reason, and probably in an attempt to protect her not-yet-born son from the suspicion that would fall on him because of his father. If only he'd stayed, or she'd stayed…perhaps the boy could've avoided being bounced around from foster home to foster home.

_I'll find some way to look after you, kid, like your parents wanted me to…_

He'd worry about the bizarre Kitsune traits later. Perhaps it was some mutation of the werewolf curse—no one had ever encountered a werewolf's child before. Or maybe he was some kind of throwback; Kitsune had freely bred with humans, maybe their traits had lain dormant for generations in Kushina's line before being awakened by Minato's lycanthropy.

Whatever it was, he'd worry about it later.


	10. Hidden in the Whirlpool

**Chapter 9**

_Hidden in the Whirlpool_

Uzumaki Kenjiro stared out over the choppy gray sea. Below him stretched the jagged cliffs of the ragged shoreline of _Uzu no Kuni_ where the shifting of the tides spawned whirlpools of all sizes. And behind him lay his village: Uzushiogakure no Sato.

A few hundred years ago, there had been nothing there but bare ground. With hard work, luck, and a hefty dose of desperation, they had built something there. It wasn't perfect (they still hadn't gotten around to paving the streets) but it was theirs.

Being a small village, they had no one leader to answer to—they had no "Kage". Instead the clan leaders managed everything with guidance from the village elders. It had been very rough in the first few decades, but now they were a well-oiled machine—a lesser village, but a respected one.

_We've worked hard to get what we have._ Kenjiro sneered and spit out into the sea far below. _That cur Yuudai had better not piss it all away!_

While the Village Council was supposedly made up of equals, there were always clans that held more sway than others. For the longest time, Clan Uzumaki was one of the top clans, if not _the_ top clan. Kenjiro's family had found the site for the village, courted the skittish and selfish feudal lord of Whirlpool Country to get the funding and support they'd needed, and worked out the treaty with their first and strongest ally: Konoha.

But then…_that_ had happened, and left the Uzumaki worth less than dirt.

Clan Kurohi was the rising star now. They'd started out as the lowest of the low and through little power plays and social games clawed their way up. With the Uzumaki's disgrace, they slithered into the top spot with a sly smile.

Officially, Kurohi Yuuta was the clan leader and held the seat in the Village Council. But he left most the management to his favorite son, Yuuma. And Yuuma in turn used his own son, Yuudai, as the face of and the ambassador for the clan. Yuudai was no puppet, though; Kenjiro was certain that he was a fellow schemer in whatever the Kurohi were up to.

_And they are up to something for certain,_ Kenjiro thought blackly. _I've seen Tengu flying in and out of their district in the twilight hours. And Yasu swears to me he saw some Kurohi talking to a pack of Tsuchigumo. They are up to something…_

A flicker of red in the corner of his vision caught his attention, and he looked left along the cliffs.

His daughter—his _only_ daughter—stood several yards away, staring off into the sea like he had been doing. She was beautiful, like her mother had been, with long red hair whipping in the wind. Not only was she beautiful, but she was fierce and strong and an Uzumaki.

She should have been his pride and joy.

Instead she was the Uzumaki's shame.

Her disgraceful lover, the abomination she birthed—it had dishonored the whole clan and painted them as a pack of werewolf lovers. The Uzumaki were a joke now, and even their closest and oldest allies no longer took them seriously. Kenjiro wondered if his clan would be able to recover the respect they once commanded in his lifetime, long as it was likely to be.

_I let her go there too young,_ he thought as Kushina turned away from the sea and walked back to the village. _I let her stay too long. She came to love them more than she loved us._

_ My daughter left for Konoha…and a stranger came back in her place._

_

* * *

_

The greenhouse wasn't hers, but for all the time she spent in it alone it might as well have been. Every moment that she wasn't training, she was inside the glass shack tending to all of the plants inside it. Trimming her bonsai, nurturing her flowers, and harvesting her herbs was about the only thing that kept her from snapping and killing them all.

"Good afternoon, Kushina."

She nearly snipped the top off her smallest bonsai at the sound of his voice. Only one man was ballsy enough to intrude on her sanctuary. Even her own family knew better than the bother her in here.

"Jump off a cliff…_and die_."

"No thank you," Yuudai chuckled. "I much prefer living to dying."

"Then why come see me?" Kushina growled, keeping her back to him.

"I thought we could talk," he replied. "Why don't you turn around? I've brought you a gift."

Against her better judgment, she turned around to grace him with a scathing look. He'd done himself up nice in a vain attempt to impress her. He wore loose black pants, a black _gi_-style shirt tied shut with a blue belt that matched his hair, a sword hung at his hip, his hitai-ate dangled around his neck from a black cloth, a little gold hoop earring was set in his right earlobe, and he wore a blue coat over all of it that reminded her of Tsunade's gambler jacket. And in his right hand he held a dead pheasant by the ankles.

Apparently that was her "gift".

"…You brought me a dead thing," she said flatly.

"I thought you might like it. I caught it myself. That proves I'm a good provider." Yuudai smirked. "That's how animals court potential mates."

Kushina bared her teeth at him, flashing her fangs. "Get out."

"You don't respond to traditional courting, you don't respond to human courting, so I'm left to try the way that animals court," Yuudai shrugged with a cheery smile. "I want you," he said simply. "You know that I'm the best of your suitors—I'm far better than a woman of your circumstances could hope for—so…why do you keep refusing me?"

"That's easy," she growled. "My Minato is ten times the man you are."

A dark shadow flitted over Yuudai's bright green eyes.

"Your Minato is a slobbering beast now—no man at all."

"And he's still twice the man you are," Kushina smiled nastily.

Yuudai snarled and started for her—

She held up her tiny pruning scissors threateningly.

"Touch me, and I'll castrate you with my scissors."

"Those little things?" he sneered derisively.

"Yes, these little things," she grinned. "It'll take a lot of cutting, it'll be really messy, and it'll hurt a ton."

Yuudai glowered at her…and then tossed the pheasant at her feet.

"Enjoy your lunch…bitch."

Kushina stuck her tongue out at his retreating back.

When she was alone again, she slumped down on a little stool and sighed. Yuudai was right about being her most eligible suitor still sniffing after her, but he was just as slimy and worthless as all the rest as far as she was concerned. And all of those men wanted the same thing: a breeder.

The future of all women of Uzugakure (Uzu_shio_gakure was just too long) no Sato was to become mothers. From the earliest moment that she could remember, Kushina had been taught that one day she would take a husband from one of the other clans and have children to preserve their race. She'd felt trapped by it, she'd resented it, she'd rebelled against it, she'd wanted to be more than just a breeding bitch.

She'd focused on being a ninja. She'd been as unpleasant and rude and unfeminine as possible to keep boys from getting interested. She'd gone to Konoha where there was no pressure to choose a mate and settle down.

And then…she'd met Minato.

He'd never looked at her like he was calculating what their children would be like. He had looked at her…and just saw _her_. And he'd loved her.

It had been wonderful.

She hadn't cared about his condition—he was a good man, that was all that mattered to her. She hadn't cared when she'd gotten pregnant—it was with him, it was special. She'd been so sure that everything would work out somehow that she'd never given any thought to the consequences…and if she had, she wouldn't have cared.

_If only it hadn't fallen apart…_

Kakashi's first jounin mission had gone wrong, and the moon had stolen Minato away. She'd returned to Uzu in hopes that Naruto would escape the suspicion he'd suffer in Konoha. But he'd inherited werewolf traits and she hadn't been able to hide them for long. In the end, in hopes of giving him some sort of normalcy, she'd given him up so that he wouldn't have to suffer her village's scorn and disgust.

And, regrettably, part of that deal was that she remain in Uzugakure for the rest of her days and never seek out her son, or information on him.

_He's a wonderful boy. He'll find some wonderful family where he won't be treated like a leper and he'll be happy. It's all for the best…_

At least, that's what she told herself so that she could sleep at night.

Shaking her head roughly, she gathered up the pheasant carcass and stormed out of her greenhouse. She'd drop the dead bird off at her aunt's kitchen to see if it could be cooked (as much as she despised Yuudai, it would be a shame to waste good meat) and then head down into the training caves beneath the village. Destroying practice dummies always helped improve her mood.

* * *

Hiroto was a great poet.

Or, at least he had been.

In his prime he wrote epic poems and numerous haiku, and he even dabbled in novels a few times. He'd married a beautiful woman and had three equally beautiful children with her. His poems earned him a nice house and more than enough fame and respect to satisfy himself.

And then the Great Slaughter had changed all of that.

He had no idea how they found him out. One night they had stormed his house, gathered his family, and threatened them until he'd broken down and admitted it. Then they'd slit his wife's throat, and his children's throats, and his own throat (though they hadn't quite cut deep enough), and then burned his house down around him.

Hiroto was no warrior. He'd only gathered enough power and skill to move about the human world unnoticed (or at least the thought he'd gone unnoticed). He only had two tails—not nearly enough strength to take down one experienced hunter, let alone a group of them.

He wished he had died then. He wished he had burned to ashes with them. But he had lived.

His human life had been destroyed. His clan had been annihilated. His race hovered on the knife's fine edge of extinction.

But he had lived.

Somehow.

Eventually, others took him in. He was brought into Clan Kurohi—a clan made up of survivors of other wrecked clans. They wanted him to take a new wife—a Kitsune wife—and have new children.

He drank instead.

At first he'd tried to be a teacher and educate the young ones about the arts. But the surviving children and the new children only wanted to learn the ways of war. It broke his heart, and his dead family haunted him, and so he drank more and more over the decades.

Now he was a wreck.

He was a three hundred and fifty year old two-tailed drunkard.

Hiroto groaned and tried to resettle his old body more comfortably on his bed. He'd been granted a tiny shack of a home on Kurohi land that was barely more than a room with a futon, and these days he rarely left it beyond acquiring food and more alcohol. He didn't bother with a human form anymore, either. Hiroto was old, and due to his alcoholism he felt even older than he really was. It was a wonder to him that he hadn't died yet.

"Great Uncle."

He blinked and looked up blearily to see a handsome young fox stroll into his residence. The visitor had to be Kurohi; no one from any other clan would bother calling him "great uncle". The boy was striking, with deep blue fur, bright green eyes, an earring in his right ear, and six magnificent tails. Hiroto struggled to recall the boy's name.

"Y-yes?"

"How are you feeling today?" the young fox asked him politely.

"I-I'm alright," Hiroto blinked owlishly. "I could use a drink…Yuuta?"

"Yuudai, Uncle," the younger creature gently corrected. "You would like something to drink?" Yuudai reached one of his tails back out the door and picked something up that was out of Hiroto's line of sight. "Will this do?"

It was a jug of sake. Fine sake. Not the dirt-cheap stuff Hiroto subsisted on these days.

"Oh, oh that's too nice for me," Hiroto said, trembling. "I don't deserve—"

"Nonsense," Yuudai interrupted and uncorked the jug for him. "Consider it payment for your wisdom."

The old fox hesitated a moment before greedily snatching the jug. His coordination was almost destroyed after so many years of hard living and it was hard for him to make his tails grasp the jug so he could drink from it. And regrettably he spilled some of the sake when he gulped it, but it tasted _so good_…

"Now, Uncle, tell me your stories," the young fox said as he settled down beside Hiroto's futon. "Share with me what you know."

Hiroto blinked, but did his best to oblige the youngster. His days of poetic eloquence were long past him. Decades upon decades of drinking had ruined his brain and overwhelmed his healing powers.

He struggled to recall old tales he'd heard or invented himself and relate them to the young fox. It was so nice to have an eager and appreciative listener, but the sake was strong and with every sip of his fine drink it was harder to speak and to think. Yuudai was a nice boy, though, and patiently encouraged him to keep going and tell him more tales.

"An'…an' then…" The jug tipped over, completely empty. "Oh no…" Hiroto dropped down on his futon and sighed. "Mmm…tired…"

"That's alright, Uncle," Yuudai crooned and gently brushed Hiroto's gray grizzled head with a black velvety paw. "Rest now while I collect the rest of your payment for that nice drink."

"Hmm…" Hiroto sighed, closed his eyes, and slept a blissful, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Can we really do this?"

"Of course we can," Yuudai snorted as he adjusted his shirt over his human form. "I wouldn't do this if I hadn't already cleared it with Father and Grandfather. No one will miss him in the clan; no one will miss him outside the clan. He's perfect for our purposes."

Behind him, two black-masked Shadows eased the unconscious degenerate into a barrel and sealed the lid with seal papers that would keep him out cold.

"What if Orochimaru doesn't like him?" Yuudai's companion, Isamu, asked anxiously.

"The snake will just have to deal with it," Yuudai shrugged. "Kitsune are supposed to be extinct. He ought to be grateful that he's getting one." Satisfied that his clothes were properly adjusted, Yuudai leisurely strolled after the Shadows as they carted the barrel off for eventual transportation to the rendezvous location. "This worthless leech is just supposed to be a small taste—proof that we can deliver on our promise. He'll get others eventually."

"Others?" Isamu squeaked nervously and trotted after Yuudai. "There can't be that many broken-down old foxes we can sweep his way…"

"Not everyone will side with us when the time comes to make our move," Yuudai replied. "Once we have the other demons and werewolves added to our forces, we'll give him some of the minority that oppose us."

Isamu shivered. "Oh."

"Don't worry so much, Isamu!" Yuudai chuckled. "We know what we're doing. Soon we'll have vengeance for the Great Slaughter, and those butchers will know what it's like to be hunted—to be an endangered species."

"Right," Isamu nodded.

"Now run along and tell my father that everything is going smoothly," Yuudai instructed. "We'll leave under the cover of night."

"Right," Isamu repeated and scampered off to relay his message.

Yuudai watched his childhood friend disappear down the dusty street and then looked away with a black expression and a few flickers of violet electricity dancing along his fingertips.

"Soon," he muttered to himself, "those indiscriminate killers will get what's coming to them…"

* * *

Joining ANBU had always seemed glamorous to the man who was given the alias "Spider". ANBU were the Hokage's personal daggers. They tackled the most dangerous rogue hunters and most notorious demons.

But in reality, most of what they did was so boring.

They protected the Hokage from threats, which meant a lot of standing around doing nothing. They ran special errands for the Hokage, which usually meant running errands that were fairly mundane except that it was the Hokage who needed them done. And when they didn't have any ANBU business to be doing, they trained just like any other shinobi.

All that really set them apart was the uniform and the average level of difficulty of their missions.

Spider grimaced behind his ceramic mask (which had some spider-like markings painted on it) as he descended into the bowels of the tower which lay at the heart of the infamous Forest of Death. After weeks of swapping shifts and praying, he'd drawn a guard shift that he couldn't wiggle out of. For the next twelve hours he was stuck watching a wolfman in a tiny cell.

It was the Hokage's current pet research project. A sickly werewolf had saved his grandson, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had pounced on the chance to see why it was so sickly, if it would recover, and how it behaved in captivity. Such studies had been attempted a few times before, but the captive wolf monsters tended to die from the stress of being confined to a small space fairly quickly.

An embedded silver blade was the culprit in this creature's case and even though it had been removed it had seemed doubtful that the beast would live. But after lingering near death for almost a week it had slowly started to improve. Now, from what his buddies had told him, it was on the mend at werewolf speed.

_Hopefully it'll stay docile,_ he thought as he neared his post. _It'll be boring, but boring is good in this case. Very good._

Boring meant that it wouldn't be gnawing on cell bars like he'd heard it did during its second full moon in captivity (the first full moon it had nearly been dead). Boring meant that the Hokage wouldn't stop by to visit his study subject and he wouldn't have to worry about protecting his boss in case something went wrong. Boring meant the werewolf would just sleep and not cause him any trouble.

Spider nodded to Crane, his partner for the shift who would wait just around the corner in case something happened.

"Has it been quiet?"

"Very quiet," Crane replied. "I wish that Hokage-sama hadn't stopped the sedatives, though. I'd feel a lot better about all of this if the beast just slept all day like it used to."

"It's awake more often now?" Spider asked, trying not to shudder.

"Oh yeah," Crane said and patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Spider muttered and walked down the hallway of the old dungeon and around the corner to where the creature was sequestered.

There was no light bulb in the cell so the only light filtered in from the dim hallway bulb. That left most of the cell in shadow. The werewolf seemed to like sticking to the dark parts, he'd heard, and so long as it wasn't getting up to any mischief Spider was happy to let it hide there.

He came to the spot where he was going to stand for the next few hours and—

"Hello," a hoarse voice rasped from the cell, making Spider jump like a green genin. "Could…could I have some…tea please?"

Spider slowly turned and peered into the cell to find the werewolf gone and a man was in its place, sitting curled up in the farthest corner.

_What the…?_ The ANBU gawked, saved from embarrassment by his unexpressive mask._ Is he…?_

"Better yet," the man coughed. "Could I get some pants…please?"

Spider stared at the naked man for several minutes.

"…I do _not_ get paid enough for this."


	11. Misery and Gathering Darkness

**Chapter 10**

_Misery and Gathering Darkness_

His fingers trembled as he grasped the steaming teacup. He wondered how long the shakes would last. And then he forgot all about it when he sipped at the hot herb-laced liquid. It was so much nicer-tasting than the hard tap water he'd had recently, and the scummy stream water he'd had before that.

_I missed civilized life so much…_

The ANBU had been kind enough to brew tea for him (a custom blend), bring him pants, _and_ other necessary articles of clothing. He very much appreciated that. Being naked in any place besides the shower or the hot spring was not fun for him.

"I had hoped that it was you, but this was not the way I expected to find proof of my suspicions."

He looked up from his teacup to find that another person besides the two ANBU that scrutinized his every move had appeared. Shifting from one form to another had the fringe benefit of boosting his regeneration during the change, so while his eyesight still wasn't perfect it was easily twice as it good as it was before he'd made the effort to return to his human shape. He could see more than well enough to know who had arrived (even if he hadn't heard the man speak), and he started to rise from the table so that he could kneel to his Hokage—

"No need for you to get up," the old man said, waving him down. The Hokage settled down at the table across from him and chewed on the stem of his unlit pipe. "I need to thank you, Minato, for keeping Konohamaru and his little friends from becoming centipede food." He removed his traditional red and white hat, revealing his white hair and receding hairline, and shook his head. "Such a trouble-maker, that grandson of mine. He begged me repeatedly to let him keep you as a pet."

"He's your grandson?" Minato blinked owlishly. _That kid who twisted my tail and called me a zombie dog?_

"Yes," the Hokage nodded. "I didn't agree to his pet idea, of course. He's grounded until he makes genin for sneaking out of the village like he did. I'm sure that his friends are grounded, too."

Minato took a long sip of his tea and sighed quietly as the warmth slowly spread throughout his body.

"That's a very interesting blend of tea you requested," the old man remarked. "I always thought that you preferred coffee."

"I do," Minato replied. "The ingredients of this tea ease the symptoms of silver poisoning. At least that's what I've heard."

"Who did you hear this from?" the Hokage inquired curiously.

"A man named Kouki," he told the senior shinobi. "About ten years ago I wandered into the Land of Iron and into the small border village where he lived." Minato took another sip of tea. "He was a blacksmith…and a werewolf."

"Really?"

Minato nodded and finished off his cup.

"He was friendly. A lone wolf, but friendly. He let me stay with him for a few months and taught me a few things in exchange for putting some protection in his shop. Some local Tengu liked to steal shiny bits of metal from him to decorate their nests."

"And what did this blacksmith werewolf teach you?" the old man asked.

"How to deal with silver injuries," he answered. "He gave me a sketchy history of the lycanthrope, how to tell a sane wolf from an insane one, and how to deal with sane wolves without getting into unnecessary fights. When he was sure that I had enough knowledge to get by, he politely turned me out, saying that he wasn't looking to build a pack in his village so I ought to move along and find my own way."

The Hokage sat quietly for a few minutes, fingering his pipe as he considered what to ask about next.

"When you say 'sane' and 'insane' in regards to werewolves, you mean those that retain their humanity and those who have devolved into chaotic, destructive creatures, correct?"

"Exactly," Minato nodded.

"And what sort of ratio is there between the two types?"

"There are far more sane werewolves than insane ones," he explained, "but the sane ones are smart enough to keep their heads down and avoid notice. They know that demon-hunters don't know there's a difference, and most wouldn't care if they did know. Most werewolves just want to live their lives without any trouble."

"Hmm…" The old man tapped his pipe on the tabletop. "And the sane ones, they can regain their human forms, as you have?"

"Yes. Except on nights of the full moon, shifting from one form to the other is simply a matter of will and imagination—things the mad ones have lost, which is why they always stay beasts." Minato fingered his empty teacup. "I would've changed back sooner, but I was so sick from the silver…"

"Is there anything else that could stop a werewolf from shape-shifting besides silver exposure?"

Minato closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"Aside from some form of incapacitation…the only thing I can think of would be pregnancy. If a female werewolf shifts while pregnant, the baby will die."

"I see," Sarutobi said. "And on that subject, do you know if the offspring of werewolves can inherit lycanthropic traits?"

"If the mother is a werewolf, the child is guaranteed to be a werewolf because of the shared blood while gestating in the womb. If the father is the werewolf, the chances are roughly fifty-fifty. And if both parents are werewolves, it is a certainty that their children will also be werewolves." Minato traced his finger around the rim of his teacup. "Hokage-sama, this is somewhat off topic, but could you tell me if…if…" _…If I cursed my son before he was even born._

"Kushina returned to her home village shortly after you left and before the birth of your child," the Hokage replied. "Two years after that, Uzugakure sent me a very angry letter and the treaty between our two villages was very nearly dissolved. I have no further information on her."

Minato slumped over and rested his forehead on the cool wood of the table. Of course she had gone home; the scandal had to have been unbearable, nothing to expose an innocent newborn to. And he had cursed his son. It was the only explanation for why it took two years for Uzu to suddenly be furious with Konoha. Toddlers couldn't keep secrets and Kushina wouldn't have been able to hide his lycanthropy forever.

His child was dead. Uzu was a demon-hunting village. They wouldn't spare a werewolf. Not even if it was a child. As soon as they had found him out, they'd killed him.

"What…what else do you want to know?" he asked hoarsely, still hunched over. _Distract me! Please, please, please distract me from this!_

"Give me a summary of your movements from the time of that full moon to now."

After a minute to gather his thoughts, Minato sat up straight in his chair and started to recite the report that he'd compiled in his head; the report he never imagined he'd get to give.

* * *

Kakashi was ambushed on the way back to his apartment from the grocery store. Just as he reached the front door, a man came out of it and blocked his path. The Hatake stopped in his tracks with his bag of groceries balanced on his hip and blinked.

"A word, Hatake," Uchiha Fugaku said darkly.

"…Certainly," Kakashi nodded slowly. "Would you like to come inside—"

"What are your plans for the upcoming Trials?" Fugaku demanded. "Sasuke hasn't brought home a permission slip for me to sign yet."

"I haven't decided whether or not to put forward my team for the Trials yet," Kakashi answered. "The deadline for signing up is still two weeks away."

"Why haven't you decided?"

"There's been a break down in teamwork lately," the masked man replied. "I don't believe they're quite ready to take on the challenges of the Trials."

"Sasuke can carry both of his teammates on his back through the tests if necessary," Fugaku said sharply.

"Sasuke _is_ the problem."

"Is he?" Fugaku sneered. "Or is it that mystery child you've been saddled with? No, Sasuke isn't the problem, it's that Naruto of yours."

"I disagree," Kakashi responded calmly.

"You would," Fugaku said derisively. "Sign up your students. I need my son to be tested appropriately. I need him to be challenged so that he can reach his full potential. If you want to do your dead friend a favor, stop holding Sasuke back."

That was a low blow. A very low blow. And Kakashi really hadn't expected anything less. The clan leader had disowned and erased Obito, but wasn't above invoking the dead boy's memory to get what he wanted.

"His memory would be best served by teaching Sasuke properly, not pushing him into things he's clearly not ready for."

"I am the sole judge of what my son is ready for," Fugaku nearly growled. "And the Uchiha clan will teach him properly. You are just a team leader for his missions. And you will put your team up for the Trials." The Uchiha walked past him, bumping his shoulder. "If I have to come and see you again, I will not be so polite…_thief_."

Kakashi made no reply. He simply entered his apartment building, walked up to his apartment, and went about putting away his groceries. When that was finished, he sat down, pulled out his book, and leafed through the comforting, familiar pages.

"I really hate that man."

* * *

"Uwah!"

_Splash!_

Jiraiya glanced up from his outline of his next novel and chuckled wickedly at the sight of a drenched Naruto treading water in the pond.

"Quit laughing you old pervert!" the boy fumed as he headed for shallower water where he could stand. "I can stand on water just fine. Why do I have to do taijutsu drills while I'm doing it?"

"If you make tree-walking and water-walking instinctual, you can focus on fighting your foes instead of keeping your footing steady. It helps improve your chakra reserves and your control of it. And…" Jiraiya smirked at him. "Watching you fall in is amusing."

"Ero-Sennin!" the boy howled furiously as he wrung the water out of his ugly orange jacket.

"Hey! Quit calling me that, Brat!" Jiraiya barked. "Respect your elders!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. Then the boy peeled off everything but his underwear, dumped it on the ground, and used his chakra to stride over the surface of the deep pond like a water-strider bug. When he was at the center of the pond, he got back to running through series of kicks, punches, and other choreographed fighting moves.

He was pushing the boy hard. In addition to the kid's regular team practices, Jiraiya took up his time with hour to two hour long training sessions. Naruto didn't have the stable background that all of his classmates did—he wasn't trained from a young age to be a shinobi. He had a lot of ground to make up, and he had to be better. The kid needed to be able to protect himself from demons outside the walls…and perhaps even from his own comrades.

_He's made it through one week so far, but can he keep up the pace? There'll be a full moon next week; that might slow him down some. And two weeks after that is the start of this year's Trials. I wonder if Kakashi will decide to enter them…_

It didn't seem likely from the last time he'd chatted with Kakashi. Little Sasuke was being a bully, a spoiled brat, and destroying the team spirit of Squad Seven. But there was still time for the young jounin to change his mind, and stranger twists had happened…like Kakashi taking on students at all.

"Wah!"

_Splash!_

"You didn't make it through the set, start over!" Jiraiya demanded, imperiously waving his pencil stub.

Naruto slapped the water and snarled, but climbed out of the water and started over.

Jiraiya made a quiet, satisfied grunt and went back to scribbling novel notes. It was a lot of fun to push the kid's buttons. When he'd tried to mess with Minato back in the day, his beloved pupil would shake it off with little reaction (unless the teasing pertained to girls which would embarrass him horribly). Naruto was a lot more like his mother—an amusing spitfire that was easy and fun to rile up.

_Although in his situation he could stand to have a slightly cooler head._ Jiraiya tapped his stubby pencil on his little notepad. _ Panic could undo him just as easily as his temper._

_Splash!_

Jiraiya glanced up again to see the boy trudging back to the edge of the pond. He was shivering a bit and looked drained. The cold pond water and low chakra were getting to him. The old shinobi chucked a towel at the boy's blond head when he crawled back onto dry land.

"Take a fifteen minute breather."

"Mmph," the boy grunted and cocooned himself with the towel and sat down on a patch of dry grass.

For the next ten minutes or so, the only sounds were Jiraiya's pencil scratching on his paper. The old shinobi focused solely on the possibilities of his next best-selling book. What sorts of escapades should his main character endure this time around? What sort of people would he meet? What sort of girls? What—

"Hey, Ero-sennin?"

"Don't call me that!" Jiraiya grumbled, but paused in his story planning to see what the brat wanted.

"You knew my mom when she lived here…right?"

"I did," Jiraiya nodded.

"Well…" Naruto fidgeted with a corner of the towel. "How did she take it when…you know…_that_ happened?"

"…You're going to have to be more specific than 'that', Brat," Jiraiya snorted.

Naruto frowned. "When he looked at the moon."

"Oh." Jiraiya pulled out a kunai and used it to sharpen his little pencil. "She was very upset, of course. You were only a few months away from making your grand entrance into the world and all of a sudden she was alone. And then there was all the controversy going on in the village…it was a mess."

"She wasn't…mad at him?" the boy asked in disbelief.

"Not really," Jiraiya shrugged and tucked the kunai away. "She knew that it could happen someday…"

"She _knew_?" Naruto sputtered, lurching to his feet. "She wasn't surprised that he was a werewolf?"

"No, she wasn't surprised; she knew all about it." Jiraiya squinted at his little pencil and made a mental note to pick up some more. "Minato told her about it when things started to get serious."

"And she stayed with him?" the kid squawked. "Why?"

"Because she loved him," the white-haired man replied.

Naruto looked absolutely betrayed.

"Maybe when you're older you'll understand," Jiraiya shrugged. "Anything else you wanted to know about?"

The boy didn't reply. He just flopped down and covered himself up with the towel again. Jiraiya watched the kid for a few moments before going back to his novel outline.

_You were so busy scape-goating your father for your problems you never considered that your mother had just as much to do with it as he did, did you Naruto?_

_

* * *

_

Itachi left the Tower just as the sun was setting. It had taken him a bit longer than he'd expected to return to the village from Yokoshima as he'd stayed a few extra days to see if the Oto-nin and Uzu-nin staged another meeting. But nothing had happened, the Hokage had been informed of it and now a covert team of ANBU were looking into things, and now he was on his way home.

Then, halfway to his destination, he spied his foolish little brother's teammate. The blond boy, dressed in an obnoxious shade of orange, sat on a street corner with his head down. As Itachi drew closer, he noticed the young genin was fidgeting with a black chess—a knight.

"Good evening, Naruto."

Naruto flinched and blinked up at him. "…Hi?"

"Has Sasuke been behaving himself?" Itachi asked.

The boy shrugged and looked down at the street. "I guess."

_I'll take that as a 'no',_ Itachi thought, and said, "Do you play chess?"

"No," Naruto muttered.

"They why do you have that knight in your hand?"

"It belonged to a friend of mine," the boy replied and hurriedly shoved the plastic figurine into his pocket.

Itachi gave him an inquiring look. "Who would that be?"

"No one you'd know," Naruto answered. "He's dead, anyway."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Itachi crouched down beside the boy. "My investigation in Yokoshima turned up nothing on your background, if you were curious."

The boy just shrugged, as if he'd expected that.

"Do you know where you were born, Naruto?"

"Nope," Naruto answered.

"Could you tell me what your original surname was?"

"No." And then the boy went and asked the Uchiha a question. "What are your parents like?"

Itachi blinked, but answered.

"My mother is Uchiha Mikoto. She was a kunoichi, but she retired when she married. She is beautiful and kind, a good cook, and in my opinion a good mother.

"My father is Uchiha Fugaku. He is the leader of the Uchiha clan and chief of the Military Police, which makes him my boss as well as my father. He is strong, strict, and demanding, and he strives to do what he feels is right.

"Why do you ask about them?"

"I was just wondering," Naruto said and got up from his seat on the curb. "Bye. Good luck and…whatever."

Itachi watched the boy walk off and wondered.

_What's eating him?_

_

* * *

_

When Yuudai arrived at the meeting place just inside the borders of the Land of Rice Paddies, Orochimaru looked displeased as the Uzu-nin had expected.

"That specimen your people provided was of very low quality. I was barely able to learn anything from it before it expired."

"My apologies, but Kitsune are wary creatures, especially considering their rarity. We had to be careful to acquire one that would not be quickly missed so as not to alert the rest of the population in the area." Yuudai smiled at the serpentine rogue. "And he was only meant to be a sample—proof that we could deliver. My people have plans in place to acquire more specimens for you that are of much better quality. You should have them in your hands at least a month before we attack Konoha."

"You had better," Orochimaru hissed slightly, still somewhat disgruntled. "As agreed, I've brought what you asked for."

With a gesture, several of his minions, dressed in purple-hued camouflage gear, moved a large, reinforced crate into view. They opened it and backed away, while the half-demon adjusted a metal cuff on his wrist that was imprinted with some seals. At a snap of Orochimaru's fingers, a brown werewolf wearing a heavy metal collar and manacles on its wrists shambled out of the crate. Its eyes were unfocused, its movements were a bit clumsy, and it seemed to be drooling far more than necessary.

"…I must say that's the calmest werewolf I've ever seen," Yuudai said as he watched Orochimaru direct the creature to walk in a slow circle. "But I don't see what good it would be in battle."

"There are two settings to the collars," Orochimaru explained. "When they are docile, they are good for simple grunt work tasks. When the inhibitor seals are relaxed, they are poorly guided missiles. Should you use them in battle, it's best that the handlers and allied forces stay well enough behind them and to the sides of them. Their powers of discrimination are very, very limited."

"Ah," Yuudai nodded and fingered his single earring thoughtfully. "Does the full moon have any effect on them?"

"They do become slightly harder to handle that time of the month," the serpent said. "So just lock them up and don't count on using them those nights." He directed the enslaved creature back into the crate and his ninja sealed it up again. "This one is for you," he smirked as he handed Yuudai the controlling wrist cuff. "Feel free to use him to infect whatever human stock you can get away with to get more of them. I'll give you a few pre-made collar and manacle sets; you'll have to forge any others."

"And we will be provided with instructions on how to do that, and how to manipulate the werewolves we control?" Yuudai inquired.

"Of course," Orochimaru purred as one of his ninja passed one of Yuudai's black-masked Shadows a few scrolls. "That is all the information you should need to build yourself an army of werewolves…and whatever other demons you wish to control. Feel free to experiment, but do so at your own risk."

"Thank you, Orochimaru," Yuudai smiled politely. "My village shall do what it can to bring you those Kitsune specimens that were promised. And on that note, I spoke with my father and grandfather on the possible plans that you shared with me when we first met."

"And their thoughts?" the half-demon almost purred.

"Most of your plans required the assistance of at least one of the major villages—something that not even our two villages combined with whatever demons we could acquire could equal. And…they were concerned that you wished to do too much in a single move."

"Oh?" Orochimaru's yellow eyes narrowed curiously. "What do they propose to do, then?"

"Konoha's Trials are coming up which is an excellent opportunity to take a few jabs at Konoha, stir things up a bit. I'm sure you have a few things you'd like to try, and as both our villages are minor villages that border the Land of Fire we have an open invitation to participate. But whatever is done, it must be small. All it needs to do is make them nervous, raise the tension."

Orochimaru folded his arms and tilted his head slightly. "And then?"

"My village hasn't sent any of our ninja to train in Konoha since that unfortunate werewolf incident. We are prepared to send one of our shinobi to the Leaf Village with the mission to stir up trouble between their clans. He will sow mistrust, flare up old rivalries, and if he plays his cards right he could very well touch off a civil war." Yuudai chuckled darkly. "And with Konoha so divided, it will be child's play to crush them—for you to defeat the Hokage who exiled you."

"Hmm…" The rogue ran his overly long tongue over his lips thoughtfully. "That sounds a bit lengthy… But it does have some advantages. It would be a good way to get the Uchiha and perhaps even the Hyuuga neutralized as threats. …I think I might like it."

Orochimaru's snake-like face split into a cold-blooded smile.

"Let's talk this over more. Have your little errand boys meet mine just outside the capital of the Land of Forests. We'll pass notes."

Yuudai returned the half-demon's smile with a sly one of his own.

"It's a deal."


	12. Swirl of Mystery

**Chapter 11**

_Swirl of Mystery_

The Hokage stared out of his panoramic office windows at the village below and sighed.

_So Uzu is dealing with Oto…_

Itachi's information was a fortunate bit of good luck. Hearing the true reason behind the young man's trip to Yokoshima had been disappointing, but not wholly unexpected. Sending the Uchiha off with congratulations for his keen instincts and a warning for his father to concern himself with criminals instead of researching family trees, he'd been left with what to do about this new situation.

He'd sent ANBU to monitor the area. He'd alerted his spies. But it didn't seem like enough.

_…I'll have to send Jiraiya._

Sarutobi didn't want to interrupt his student's work with Naruto, but there really wasn't anyone else he could trust. Jiraiya was an experienced observer and skillful infiltrator. And with his impressive battle prowess and his contract with the toad demons he should be able to handle whatever he ran into.

_But what to do with Naruto?_

Sending him with Jiraiya on this assignment didn't seem like a good idea. Jiraiya needed to focus on the task at hand, and if Kakashi decided that his students were ready the Trials were less than two weeks away. If Naruto wasn't in the village, his two teammates wouldn't be able to enter.

At least, not without a lot of scrambling to find a replacement for him to round out his team, and a lot of unnecessary paperwork.

He could assign Minato the task of being Naruto's extra tutor. A werewolf would be an excellent teacher for the boy. But allowing the two to meet could let to all sorts of conclusions and confrontations.

Even though it looked certain that Naruto was Minato's son, there was one tiny thing that just didn't fit. In all that Minato had told him about werewolves, the Hokage hadn't heard a thing that would explain Naruto's Kitsune-like traits. Some werewolves had unusual fur coats that made them appear similar to some breeds of dogs, but none looked exactly like foxes, or smelled like foxes either. Jiraiya's theory that the Uzumaki line contained latent Kitsune blood might explain it. Or perhaps the Uzumaki _were_ Kitsune bold enough to hide in plain sight (just because no one had seen them in a few centuries didn't guarantee that they were truly extinct). Or maybe the boy was the child of some other werewolf and a partial-Kitsune (or full-Kitsune) whose mother had red hair and so could easily mistake Uzumaki Kushina's picture for his own mother.

Without that one tiny thing explained to his satisfaction, Sarutobi would remain cautious and keep his mind open to all possibilities.

The old man went to his desk, sat down, and filled the bowl of his pipe with tobacco. He lit it, breathed in the smoke, and thought hard for a while. And then, clenching the stem of his pipe in his teeth, he removed some blank pages and a pen to write with.

_I think that it's time that I wrote an old friend…_

A slight commotion at the door interrupted him before he could put his pen to the page. Frowning, he glanced up at his office doors in time to see them swing open. Despite the protests of the chuunin guarding his door, Uchiha Fugaku strode inside.

"You didn't schedule an appointment with my secretary," the Hokage said disapprovingly.

"I am not some foolish civilian here to waste your time," Fugaku replied sharply. "This should only take a moment."

"I hope so." The Hokage exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Do you want me to sign off on another Uchiha leaving the village to investigate a case?"

"I would like to know if there are any genin squads down a man that wishes to participate in the Trials," the Uchiha said.

The Hokage raised a gray eyebrow. "Why would you like to know that?"

"As I have stated multiple times before, I have serious doubts as to Hatake Kakashi's abilities as a teacher. As of yet, he has made no move to enter my son's team into the Trials. I believe that Sasuke is ready for the challenge, and if Hatake refuses to enter him I wish for him to enter with other teammates—teammates who will no doubt be more competent than the pair he is currently saddled with."

The old man had to put some effort into keeping a frown from his face. "If you wish to find genin squads with an open slot for Sasuke, you are welcome to research the possibilities through the personnel department. However, I wouldn't recommend putting Sasuke with other teammates so close to the deadline—"

"Sasuke will do just fine," Fugaku insisted. "Thank you for your time, Hokage-sama."

With a sharp nod, the Uchiha left the Hokage's office as abruptly as he had entered.

Hiruzen allowed himself to frown now that he was alone.

_Fugaku makes me miss the days when his father ran the clan._

Shaking his head, the village leader pulled himself back on track.

_I was writing a letter, wasn't I?_

The old man picked up his pen and started to write.

* * *

Sasuke mentally grumbled as he trudged along the street. It was Saturday and Team Seven had the day off. But just after breakfast, Sasuke's father had taken him aside to talk and assign him a task.

_"Your drive and determination to assist in the investigation of your teammate is admirable, Sasuke…but in this case you've done nothing but sabotage yourself. If you wish to have the best chance of participating in the Trials this year you will need to mend bridges with this Naruto boy. Be his friend, for the time being, and leave the investigating to your brother. Itachi has already long past the Trials and now is the time for you to be focusing on doing the same."_

The dark-haired boy clenched his teeth as he approached the apartment building that he was looking for. Because Team Seven had no practice or mission to do today, the only way to find Naruto was to go where he lived. And according to his father, Sasuke needed to apologize to the idiot and…bond with him.

When Sasuke reached the right door and knocked, Iruka-sensei answered the door, which confused him for a moment before he remembered that Naruto currently lived with the chuunin.

"Hello, Sasuke," the scarred chuunin blinked in surprise. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Naruto in?" Sasuke asked.

"I sent him out to pick up some groceries, but he should be back soon," Iruka answered. "Why are you looking for Naruto?"

"I just wanted to talk to him," the Uchiha boy shrugged.

"Would you like to wait for him inside?" Iruka offered.

Sasuke almost declined, but then he figured that if he could see Naruto's room he could find something beyond being ninjas to bond with the moron over.

"Sure."

A few minutes later, Sasuke was wandering around Naruto's room while Iruka-sensei went back to grading homework assignments from the younger Academy students that he primarily taught.

The room was messy, as Sasuke had expected it to be, with clothes, a few loose weapons, and old scrolls scattered in the corners and on the desk. The walls were a plain off-white color and completely bare except for a cheap movie poster that featured some fantasy princess named "Princess Gale". It was a pretty general boy's room, and the only part of it that had much of a personalized feel was the nightstand by Naruto's bed.

There was a strange black nightcap that was decorated with eyes and buck teeth so that, when it was worn, it would look like some critter was chewing on the wearer's head dangling off the edge of the little round table beside the bed. And there was, of course, an alarm clock that looked like it had seen better days. Sasuke spied the black chess piece that he'd threatened to destroy several days previously. And finally there were two framed photographs.

The first was the official Team Seven group photo, but the other was a lot more interesting. It was a casual photograph stuck into a frame that was a few inches too big for it, leaving the brown cardboard backing showing above and to the left of the picture. The image featured a woman, a kunoichi, with long red hair and eyes that were either a dark gray-blue, or a murky shade of dark violet. She had a reckless grin on her face and was flashing a peace sign at the camera. When Sasuke briefly activated his Sharingan to memorize the picture, he noticed that the symbol etched into the metal plate of her hitai-ate wasn't Konoha's Leaf, but an odd spiral that reminded him of the red spiral present on the backs of the flak vests that most higher-level shinobi wore.

_What village is that symbol for? …It has to be one of the lesser villages; there's dozens of those. I'll have to look it up when I get home._

Sasuke frowned and picked up the frame.

_Why does Naruto have a picture of some random foreign kunoichi?_

"Hey!"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder to find Naruto glaring at him.

"What?" the Uchiha grunted as he put the picture frame back on the nightstand.

"Quit touching my stuff!" Naruto snapped, rushing over to see if the Uchiha had done anything bad to the picture.

"Relax, I didn't mess with your girlfriend's picture," Sasuke said.

Naruto gave him a disgusted look. "That's my _mom_."

Sasuke wanted to ask a ton of questions about that, like why didn't he stay in that foreign shinobi village and be a ninja there, but he wasn't allowed to ask any more questions until after the Trials so he just settled for saying: "Oh."

"…What do you want, Sasuke?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You've improved some since graduating," Sasuke said, very reluctantly. "But you need to get better if the team is to get into the Trials. I came by to invite you to use my family's private grounds."

The whiskered blond stared at him for a minute. "No, thanks."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "Only Uchiha are allowed to use them. It's an honor for a non-Uchiha to get permission to train on them."

"No, thanks," Naruto repeated. "I already have a tutor."

"Who?"

"Some old dude named Jiraiya," the blond shrugged. "You saw him once; he saved my chess piece from you."

"The man with the toad demon," Sasuke muttered with a frown. _So his name is Jiraiya…_

"Yeah, him," Naruto nodded and flashed the Uchiha a smug grin. "So I don't need your help."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"…I bet Sakura-chan would like it if you let her train with you at your house," Naruto smirked.

"Aren't you supposed to like her?" Sasuke muttered with a raised eyebrow.

"I do!" the blond hurriedly assured him. "Sakura-chan's the best! But…she's really behind us."

Sasuke hated to agree, but Naruto was right. That annoying girl was clever, but she was physically weak. She tired quickly, she reacted too slowly in a fight, and she couldn't take many hits before she was knocked down.

"Why don't you train with her?" the Uchiha grunted. "She won't get anything done if she trains with me."

All the girl was concerned with when he was around was timidly winning his undying love. She wouldn't fight seriously against him, as if she was terrified of harming his handsome features or some other nonsense like that. Being born a citizen of Konoha, she should know how futile her girlish dream of stealing his heart was. He was an Uchiha and he would only marry another Uchiha.

"Sakura-chan won't train with me," Naruto pouted. "She thinks that if she agrees that I'll think it's some kind of date."

Sasuke ground his teeth in frustration. "Well, convince her it won't be a date. I need to get to the Trials and pass. I'm already way behind my brother. When he was my age, he was almost a jounin."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "Seriously."

"My brother is a prodigy," Sasuke growled, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice. "He is elite among the elite. When my father retires to become a clan elder, he will take over leading the Uchiha."

Naruto rubbed at the back of his head. "Cool, I guess."

Silence fell between the two boys as Sasuke's mind worked. He'd intended to flatter the idiot with the opportunity to use the Uchiha clan's training grounds, but Naruto didn't seem interested. He couldn't talk about the woman in the photograph as he wasn't supposed to be digging for any more information, at least until after the Trials. He would've tried to talk about the movie poster but he rarely watched television as he was much too busy trying to advance himself as a demon-hunter to bother.

"…You know," Sasuke said slowly, "if we participate in the Trials and do well enough, we'll have opportunities to take on more challenging missions. It doesn't matter if we make chuunin, we just have to get to the last round of tests."

"You think so?" Naruto asked curiously.

"It's true," Sasuke replied. "So if you want to tangle with something more dangerous than a D-class nest of insect demons, impress Kakashi-sensei."

The Uchiha tried not to smirk as he watched the sluggish gears of Naruto's brain turning over this tempting possibility.

"I'm going to go see if I can train with my brother. I'm through with tracking down lost pets, babysitting brats, and weeding old ladies' gardens." Sasuke walked past Naruto and paused in the doorway. "You can come along, if you want."

Sasuke wasn't keen on sharing training time with his brother, but if it helped smooth things over and get them into the Trials…

"No thanks, I was already going to go train with someone else today," Naruto answered.

"Hn," the Uchiha grunted. "See you Monday, then."

"Bye!" Naruto waved cheerily.

Sasuke ignored him, and Iruka-sensei who was still grading papers in the kitchen, and walked out of the apartment.

_Why can't Naruto ever make anything easy?_

His attempt to befriend the class idiot didn't seem to have been much of a success, but then he thought of the photograph of the foreign kunoichi and felt some hope.

_Perhaps father will find this information useful…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto walked through the village on his way to meet with Ero-Sennin for training and pondered over Sasuke's weird visit. Was it another attempt to force him to divulge the secret of how he'd defeated Haku back in Wave Country months ago? It hadn't seemed that way. It was almost like Sasuke had been being…friendly. Which was kind of creepy.

_I hope Sasuke's right about the Trials getting us better missions, even if we don't get promoted,_ he thought. _I'd like to get into some real battles with demons. So far we've only really fought those stupid bugs, and Zabuza and Haku and the Oni Brothers were humans._

As he cut through a block populated with various kinds of shops, he came across a small pack of stray dogs sniffing around and barking. Naruto would've ignored them and continued on, but he noticed what the strays were interested in. He stopped and listened as the dog's circled around something small and white tucked away between two shops.

_"(Hey, puppy,)"_ a brown mutt growled. _"(Our territory! Scram!)"_

_"(Go away!)"_ a dirty white hound snarled.

_"(Go away!)"_ a gray dog agreed.

_"(I-I'm just looking for some money Kiba lost!)"_ Akamaru whined. _"(I'll leave when I find it, I promise!)"_

Naruto tried not to listen to things that dogs said. A few times when he'd been younger he'd told his foster families at the time what he thought they were saying, and everyone thought he was crazy. He'd be sent to the next family in line shortly after he'd reveal his skill and so he quickly caught on that it wasn't normal and he stopped listening to dogs and sharing what he'd heard with anyone.

_"(Go away!)"_ the strays barked over and over again, growing more threatening by the minute. _"(Go away! Go away! Go away! We'll bite you! Go away!)"_

_"(I n-need to f-find Kiba's money!)"_ Akamaru whimpered. _"(He'll get in trouble if I don't find it! Please l-leave me alone so I can find it!)"_

The blond boy was surprised at how smart Akamaru sounded. Normally dogs sounded pretty dumb, barking only short phrases that had to do with food, smells, play, or territory. But the first day that Kiba had brought Akamaru to class with him he'd boasted about how the Inuzuka specially bred their dogs for intelligence, magical ability, and long life. So even though Akamaru was a tiny puppy, he'd probably sound a lot smarter than full grown alley dogs.

_"(Intruder!)"_ the gray dog howled and suddenly rushed the quivering puppy. _"(Go away!)"_

_ "(Kiba!)"_ Akamaru wailed, backing deeper into the dead-end alley. _"(Help me!)"_

Naruto didn't wait to see if Kiba was around to hear the puppy's cries. He darted across the street and kicked and hit and shouted at the strays until they fled. He detested bullies, no matter what the species.

"What jerks," Naruto muttered. "Picking on a little puppy like that..."

_"(Naruto?)" _Akamaru crept forward, wagging his tail._ "(Thank you! You're nice. Do you want to be my friend?)"_

"Um, I gotta go," Naruto grinned nervously and hurried away. "Be careful and tell Kiba to find his own damn money!"

_"(How did he know that I was looking for Kiba's lost money?)"_ Akamaru yipped as Naruto hurried out of hearing range. _"(He can't hear me like Kiba can…)"_

The whiskered boy stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and kept walking.

_I wonder…if I tried to talk when I get furry, would Kiba know what I was trying to say?_

He'd long given up thinking that he could talk when he transformed. When he'd been really little and still lived with his mother, whenever he shifted and tried to talk to someone they'd always complained about his barking like a stupid animal. Not even his mother had understood him.

When he'd gone into the foster homes and transformed for the full moon, his "talking" (to himself to keep from feeling too lonely) had only gotten him into trouble. Sometimes he'd get rocks or shoes thrown at him by people assuming he was just someone's annoying dog barking. Once someone had shot a heavy sling-stone at him, probably mistaking him for some wild predator after his animals, and from then on he'd been very quiet.

_Could…could I have talked with Ookami-jiji?_

Naruto had never thought to try it. Everything he'd ever read or heard about werewolves told him that they were stupid, brutish monsters that couldn't speak and lived only to kill and destroy and spread their curse. When Ookami-jiji had started playing checkers with him, he'd been invited to play with gestures, not sound. They would play in silence and Naruto had never felt much need to speak.

_I wish I had tried,_ the boy thought glumly. _It could've been nice to have someone to really share secrets with. And maybe he could've given me advice like a…_

Like a dad would.

Naruto paused and made a face.

_Never mind, it doesn't matter anyway 'cause he's dead._

He finally reached the hot springs—the place where he always met up with Ero-Sennin—and started walking along the fence by the women's side to locate the white-haired pervert. This was how he'd found the man the first time he'd gone to him for extra training. Upon discovering the man's voyeuristic hobby, and upon hearing his ridiculous self-introduction, he'd coined the name "Ero-Sennin" and was determined to use it forever (because he doubted the dirty old man would ever give up peeping).

"Hey, Ero-Sennin!" Naruto said (quietly—he'd shouted it once, and all the women had shouted and thrown things over the wall at them) and waved when he spied the giant of a shinobi peering through a knothole. "Are you done drooling over naked girls yet?"

"Never," the old shinobi sighed wistfully.

"Pervert," Naruto scowled.

"_Super_ pervert!" Jiraiya gleefully corrected and tore his gaze away from the hole in the fence. "Well, since you've decided to show up, let's get going!"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the man but followed him away from the hot springs to a secluded spot out in the forest.

"So, what do I have to do today, Ero-Sennin?"

"Brat!" the old man grunted and sat down on a tree stump. "Hmm, I suppose I'll start with the bad news…"

"Bad news?" Naruto gulped.

"Today will be the last time I get to impart my wisdom to you for a while," the man announced. "Hokage-sama gave me special assignment and I'll be leaving tonight."

"Oh," the boy sighed, feeling disappointed.

As annoying as Jiraiya was, the old pervert's training actually seemed to be helping. The last few spars Naruto was sure that Sasuke was having a harder time beating him. It figured that just as his training was starting to pay off that it had to end.

"Cheer up kid!" Ero-Sennin chuckled and messed up his hair. "I'll come back. And if I'm gone too long I'm sure that Hokage-sama will find someone else to look after you."

"Really?" Naruto tilted his head. "Like who?"

"I have no idea," the man shrugged and whipped out a camera. "Smile!"

"Eh?" The sudden camera flash briefly blinded him. "Gah! Hey! What was that for?"

"A little memento," the senior shinobi replied and took the instant picture out of the slot. "How cute."

"Taking pictures of random kids makes you look like a pedophile!" Naruto declared.

"It does not!" Jiraiya sputtered.

"Does too!"

"Does _not_!"

"Does _too_!"

"Gah! Up and down that tree fifty times!" the man bellowed, pointing towards the tallest tree in the immediate vicinity.

Naruto scowled, but ran at the tree, gluing his feet to the bark as he raced up to its crown and then back down to its roots while trying not to break his neck in the process.

_Stupid Ero-Sennin!_

_ …What was that picture for really?_

_

* * *

_

Fugaku listened diligently as his younger son related to him his attempt to befriend his teammate so that Hatake would be more likely to enter his students in the Trials. It hadn't gone well, but it hadn't gone terribly, so Sasuke would just have to be a bit patient. But when Sasuke told him about the photograph that the boy had identified as his mother…he listened harder.

Long red hair. Gray-blue eyes. The swirl of Uzu on her hitai-ate.

_That woman…_

His jaw tensed.

_Then that could mean…_

"Father?" Sasuke questioned nervously, dragging Fugaku back to the present.

"It's a start, Sasuke," he told his youngest child. "Not everyone can be won over in a day. Keep working on him and continue with your training."

"Yes, father!" Sasuke said with determination.

"Now go see if your mother needs any errands done," he said in dismissal.

Sasuke bowed and hurried off to do as he was told.

Fugaku smiled slightly, but only when Sasuke was out of sight. It pleased him that Sasuke worked so hard to excel, but Fugaku was careful not to praise him too much. Excessive praise would lessen Sasuke's drive and he wanted his son to do his absolute best.

When Sasuke was grown, Fugaku would be able to freely share how proud he was of his second son.

_It was most fortunate that Sasuke stumbled over that picture,_ he thought as he headed back to his office in the headquarters of the Military Police. _If only he'd gotten into that boy's room and seen it sooner…_

He'd sought back-up teams that Sasuke could join if Hatake held back his team from the Trials and there were none that had any promise or that would accept a last-minute addition. That meant that he'd have to make sure that Team Seven was entered. And that meant that he couldn't get Naruto off the team until after the Trials.

_There is some risk in leaving the boy on Sasuke's team,_ he thought._ But it would only be for a few more weeks. Itachi can use those weeks to confirm it. And once the first half the Trials are done and teams are no longer required…that boy can be tested and removed should he turn out to be positive._


	13. Shadow Tides

**Chapter 12**

_Shadow Tides_

Kushina headed for the greenhouse before there was even a hint of the coming sunrise. She'd developed the habit of not sleeping on the night of the full moon and it was a habit that she didn't care to break. No matter how long she ended up living, she was set on keeping her habit going.

It all began with Minato. When she learned about his secret, and saw how he survived on full moon nights, she replaced Jiraiya as his company. To keep him from pacing his "moon-proofed" apartment and to distract him from the temptation of taking a peek, she'd play board games with him, watch movie marathons with him, even make love to him sometimes—whatever it took to make the night tolerable. If there wasn't the risk of the moon changing him forever, those nights would've been nothing but fun.

And then with Naruto, it had been her first clue. She'd been up for the full moon out of habit, and her newborn son refused to sleep. The next full moon it had happened again, and again, and by the time he was nine months old she was sure that he'd caught some of the curse. Her blood hadn't protected him the way that she'd been sure that it would. So she kept staying up for the full moon for her baby.

_At least my blood did give him __**some**__ protection, though…_

When Naruto had been about two years old he'd gotten a peek at the full moon. Kushina had gotten roped into helping a cousin take care of her sick baby for an hour and when she'd come back to Naruto's room he'd gotten the shutters pried open and there was a bizarre fox puppy waiting for her. She'd cried the rest of that night and into the morning, sure that she'd lost her son forever, that she'd have to find some way to take care of him like a pet because he was an animal now… But when the sun came up, he'd changed back and asked her why she was so sad.

_If only he could've just been a regular hanyou—he would've been forgiven for that._ She bit her lip and walked up to the greenhouse door. _But no, Naruto just had to find the good silverware—the stuff made of real silver—and Arashi just had to find him and see those silver burns…_

Lights were on inside the greenhouse and the door was unlocked. Kushina frowned and hesitated in the doorway for a minute. Who was intruding in her domain? And at this ungodly hour?

Kushina crept into the plant-filled glass shed and found an old woman.

It was impossible to accurately gauge her true age—Kushina could only tell that the woman was old. Her hair was long and silvery with half of it cascading down her back and the other half pinned up in a pair of buns. She wore plain, old-style clothing—a dark green yukata with minimal decoration. Her back was to the door so Kushina couldn't see her face, but she thought she recognized the back as that of the gardener who tended all the plants and tree on Uzumaki land.

"…Hello?"

The old woman paused in fussing over a few small pots of soil and turned around. There were crow's feet around her eyes and lines around her mouth and had she been human Kushina would've pegged her age at somewhere in the fifties. On her forehead there was a diamond-shaped chakra seal that reminded Kushina of Tsunade. But her eyes—her gray eyes—were old, ancient even.

This woman was much older than fifty.

"Oh, good morning, Kushina-chan!" the old woman said with a pleasant voice that sounded deceptively young. "I was just setting up some tree clippings for Clan Hoshitama. I'll be done and out of your way in a few minutes."

"No, you don't have to rush," Kushina muttered, shifting awkwardly near the doorway.

The gardener woman was much older than Kushina. As the tender of Clan Uzumaki grounds the greenhouse had likely been the old woman's turf long before Kushina had ever been born. And here Kushina had been hogging the building and likely made the lady's job more difficult for years now. Thinking about it made her feel bad…a little bit.

"No worries, dear," the old woman smiled and turned back to the collection of small pots she'd been fiddling with. "I was nearly done, anyway."

Kushina leaned back against a plant-cluttered tabletop and fidgeted with a lock of her long red hair. She watched as the old woman carefully planted cuttings from the decorative maple tree that grew at the heart of Clan Uzumaki land that would—with proper care—either become bonsai trees, or saplings for Clan Hoshitama. And she thought about the old woman, Tsunade, and Konoha…

"Um, Obaa-sama—"

"There's no need to be so formal, dear," the old gardener chuckled kindly. "I'm no official clan elder, I just tend the plants. Please, call me Baa-chan."

"Baa-chan," Kushina said. "Do you…know any Senju?"

"I did once, a long time ago," the old woman nodded and dusted crumbs of dirt from her hands. "Why do you ask?"

"Senju Tsunade has a chakra seal on her forehead like yours."

"Oh?" The gardener brushed her fingers over the diamond-shaped mark on her brow as if she'd forgotten that she had it and smiled. "How nice…" The woman hesitated for a moment. "If I could ask a favor…could you tell me how Konoha is? It's been so many years since I was last there."

Kushina was surprised at the request, but as the old woman had been so pleasant so far, and since there were so few people that she could talk to civilly for more than five minutes, she decided to share a few stories.

She talked about the Hokage and his hat and his pipe and how one time his wife had chased her around with a rolling pin after she'd mistaken the Sarutobi house for the home of a snobby merchant that she'd wanted bomb with paint balloons. She spent a good hour giving all her favorite restaurants glowing ratings and scathing reviews for all the places that she hated. She related crazy tales that involved all her old friends like Inoichi, Chouza, Shikaku, and Tsume. She lamented at how Mikoto and Obito were the only Uchiha that were real human beings and Mikoto had married a cold-blooded bastard and Obito had died young and been screwed over posthumously. And that brought her to the subject of Minato and as she talked about how wonderful he'd been and how much she'd loved him and what a great father he would've been she found that she was crying and she just couldn't stop.

"Oh, Kushina-chan…"

The old woman pulled her into her lap and they sat on the dirt floor of the greenhouse while Kushina just kept on sobbing.

"If only you had been born centuries earlier," the old gardener sighed and rubbed Kushina's trembling shoulders. "Then no one would've cared who you loved, and your wonderful man would never have become a werewolf because there were no werewolves back then. I'm so sorry, dear."

Fatigued from her sleepless night and drained from her meltdown, Kushina drifted off to sleep with her head resting in the old woman's lap.

"Madara," the old woman sighed as the first rays of sunlight shone through the greenhouse's glass walls. "Even so long after your death…your evil still lingers."

* * *

Jiraiya sheltered under a building overhang as the drizzle slowly intensified into a heavy downpour. It was like being in Rain Country, except this was the island country of Whirlpool. If only the place had a more tropical climate this assignment would've had plenty of potential fun on the side.

There were two routes of investigation with this particular assignment. If he went to the Land of Rice Paddies and looked into Oto, no matter what he found it would've been useful because no one knew much about Otogakure. If he went to the Land of Whirlpools and poked around Uzu's business, he could see what Konoha's supposed allies were doing playing with strangers.

Adding personal reasons into the mix, Jiraiya decided to start in Uzu.

Rain and lack of bikinis aside, it was not what he'd expected.

Throughout Konoha's history, it had been rare not to have at least one Uzu-nin in residence as a sign of their alliance. But whenever Konoha had offered to send Konoha-nin to Uzu, it would always be politely but firmly declined. From the moment of Uzugakure's founding, there had been only five occasions when representatives of Konoha had been allowed past the outer walls…the most recent of which had occurred more than a century ago.

Jiraiya was not one to be deterred by history, and so the day that he had stepped off the ferry he'd walked up to the village gates and asked to be let in. The shinobi on guard duty had laughed themselves silly before telling him to beat it. Three more days he tried to get in the legal way…with the same level of success.

When he'd complained to some locals in a bar he'd found in the little port town that ran the ferries to the mainland, he'd been laughed at there too. Uzugakure wasn't like Konohagakure—no civilians lived among the ninja. The citizens of Whirlpool thought of it as normal. So long as their ninja did their jobs and kept the criminals and demons at bay, Uzu-nin could do whatever they wanted behind their walls.

_What a secretive bunch these Uzu-nin are,_ Jiraiya mused as he watched the rain fall. _But there's more than one way to get into a village. Asking for permission was just a courtesy._

The thing that bothered him most (on a personal level) was Kushina's silence. He'd written to her once about three years after Minato vanished, and again shortly after returning to Konoha to look after Naruto, but he'd received no reply. And as far as he was aware, she hadn't contacted a single friend in Konoha since she'd returned to her native land.

It didn't seem likely that she was still angry over how people had reacted to Minato's secret getting out (certainly not by the time of his second letter). So was her mail being screened for some reason? Was she not allowed to respond? Was it a problem with the mail system itself?

_I'll find out what's going on soon enough,_ he thought as he stared out into the rain. His fingers brushed against a hidden pocket tucked on the inside of his red vest. _I need to track her down anyway. I have something to deliver…_

_

* * *

_

Kenjiro grimaced at the taste of his tea and reached for the sugar to sweeten it.

_I really wish that my father hadn't died so young… And that my grandfather hadn't committed suicide… And that my great-grandfather quit the position of clan head…_

_ …I really hate my job._

It was so tedious and frustrating to deal with the heads of the other nine clans of Uzugakure and then govern (or, at least try to govern) his own clan. He often wished that his village was set up more like Konoha, with a single clear leader like the Hokage who could keep the bickering and debating down to manageable levels in village meetings. But the laws of Uzugakure only permitted a village leader to be chosen in times of war, and the position was only temporary.

_If only I could quit…_

But he couldn't quit. He was already the youngest clan head in the village by several decades and his children (to whom the position would automatically fall to) were even younger. None of his four sons were ready for such responsibilities. And his daughter…was not in any way suitable.

The Uzumaki man sighed deeply as he stirred the sugar into his tea and closed his stormy gray eyes.

_Atsuko…if only you were still here._

His marriage, like the vast majority in Uzugakure no Sato, had been an arranged one. The wife selected for him had been Hoshitama Atsuko—a shy creature that'd been pretty enough and had adored children. With his father's unexpected and very untimely death, Kenjiro hadn't had much time to get to know his bride. Nevertheless, they'd been fertile—even producing a set of twins! But, just as he'd really begun to grow fond of her, it had ended.

_"I'm sorry Kenjiro…I just wanted…wanted Kushina-chan to get a little sister…"_

The doctors had warned her against having another child so soon—five children in a decade was a lot for a Kitsune. And her last pregnancy with Kushina had been hard. Atsuko had been advised to take a break, wait a decade. But she hadn't listened, and she'd kept their warnings from him. The result had been a stillbirth that had killed her.

And to make it worse, the stillborn child that she'd killed herself trying to whelp had been another boy—not the baby sister that she'd wanted for her only daughter.

_Why—_

A sudden knock at the door of his study interrupted his bitter thoughts (it was rare that his thoughts _weren't_ bitter these days) and he scowled at the sound.

"Yes?"

"A visitor, Kenjiro-sama," one of the older Uzumaki who acted as servants said through the door. "Kaito of the Furukawa Clan to see you."

"Send him in, and bring tea for him, please."

As dark as his mood was, Kenjiro was intrigued. It was well after dinner and he wasn't expecting any visitors, certainly not any visitors from another clan. And he didn't know Kaito particularly well, so why the grandson of the Furukawa Clan head was visiting him so late in the evening was a real mystery.

Furukawa Kaito was almost twenty years older than Kenjiro (even though he didn't look it), but he was polite and apologetic as he was shown into the room. He was a black-haired man (liberally threaded with silver) with amber-colored eyes and a ragged left ear that looked especially awful when he was a fox (when he was human his hair hid most of the damage). In his early prime, he'd been one of the Uzu-nin who'd gone to Konoha as part of the alliance between their two ninja forces. After making his apologies for the lateness of the hour and once the tea had arrived, Kaito got right down to business.

"I received a letter this morning from an old friend of mine," Kaito said, removing a folded piece of paper from the inside fold of his dark gray yukata. "I've already shared it with my grandfather, and the head of Clan Hoshitama…and I think you need to see it, too."

Kenjiro raised an eyebrow as he took the letter, opened it, and started to skim—

It looked like a casual letter. But it wasn't. The seals stamped at the end of the page proved that it came from the desk of Konoha's current Hokage. And the content of the letter…

_Clan Kurohi will be the death of us all, I swear!_

_

* * *

_

Yuudai jogged down to the basement of his grandfather's home. When he reached the chamber, his grandfather and father were already there and waiting for him. He bowed slightly in apology as he joined them at the low coffee table where they were nursing saucers of weak sake.

"Sorry, I was training and lost track of time," Yuudai said as his father poured him some of the sweet rice wine.

"That's quite alright," his grandfather, Yuuta, chuckled kindly.

"You've done a very good job, son," his father, Yuuma, smiled proudly. "We don't mind waiting a few minutes on you. But now that you're here, we can get started."

Yuudai nodded and took a sip of his alcohol.

"The Trials in Konohagakure are only two weeks away," Yuuta said, bringing them straight to business. "While you were training, your father and I have already decided not to look for any genin teams to send this year. As we haven't sent any promising genin squads since that werewolf incident, there won't be any suspicion about it."

"Are you worried that they'll get in Oto's way?" Yuudai asked.

"Yes, and there is no need to send green little foxes to a village that we will shortly be destroying," Yuuma replied. "All we need is to select the shinobi we will send as a liaison."

"Not all of the clans are aware of our intentions," Yuudai frowned. "What if one of them pushes to have a genin family member compete in the Trials?"

"The chances of that are negligible," his grandfather scoffed. "And should it happen, I'll bury their petition under debates and red tape."

"Now, as for our agitating liaison, I think I've found the perfect candidate," his father announced and pulled a folder out from under the table.

"Oh?" Yuuta tapped his fingers together. "Who have you dug up for us?"

"Kasshoku of Clan Biyokuchi."

"Not a Kurohi?" Yuudai asked uneasily.

"Clan Biyokuchi agrees with our aims," his grandfather said. "And, if I recall correctly, Kasshoku is properly motivated."

"He is," Yuuma nodded gravely. "He was primarily raised by a grandmother who was traumatized by the Great Slaughter. The poor woman suffers regular nightmares and the very sight of weapons drives her into panic attacks. Needless to say, Kasshoku hates demon-hunters of all kinds."

"If he hates demon-hunters, can he function the way that he needs to within the walls of a human ninja village?" Yuudai wondered with great concern.

"Kasshoku is an excellent infiltrator. He is young, but he's already credited with taking down three attempts to set up drug-smuggling rings in our country—one of which he did single-handedly by sowing mistrust between the criminals to the point where they attacked each other and all he had to do was a little mopping up." Yuuma smiled slyly. "I have great confidence that he can bury his hatred enough to perform properly, if not exceptionally. He is sharp and a talented improviser. I think he's perfect."

"We'll still interview him, of course," Yuuta nodded, "just to be sure."

Yuudai nodded slowly. Both his father and grandfather seemed satisfied with this choice so there was little chance he could persuade them to pick a Kurohi. He would be much more comfortable if one of his trusted clansmen was on this task, but…if Kasshoku completely screwed it up Clan Kurohi could disown him as he was a Biyokuchi.

"I see that we all agree," Yuudai's father smiled and lifted his sake saucer. "Now we are one more small step closer to the first of our major goals."

"Indeed," Yuuta chuckled, raising his own drink. "To the destruction of the Leaf, and the eventual destruction of the ninja world."

Yuudai raised his saucer, toasted, and tossed back the rice wine.

_We will succeed where the Kyuubi no Yoko failed so miserably,_ Yuudai thought as the conversation wound down onto more mundane clan business. _Instead of lashing out at the aristocrats like he did, we'll destroy the warriors. When the human race is defenseless, it'll be easy to finish them off…_

_

* * *

_

Orochimaru slithered about his workshop, examining various vials and jars.

_What to bring, what bring…_

Konoha's Trials were drawing closer and he needed to finalize his plans. He'd already selected some genin of his to enter into the Trials. Now he needed to make up his mind on what things he wanted to test out.

_Hmm…_

His serpentine eyes glittered as he studied a particular set of vials filled with a black fluid, and then he selected a few to slide into a leather pouch.

_Yes._

One of his finest accomplishments had been the development of his curse seals. He'd been inspired by the virulence of the lycanthropy curse and had even used werewolf saliva as a base for his earliest work on it. Now, with information gleaned from scrolls shared by the Uzu-nin, he had founds ways to further advance his curse seals, giving them a second level. Currently he was testing the upgrade on his young elite bodyguards, and hopefully after the Trials he'd have a few corrupted Konoha-nin to play with too…

Smiling coldly, he continued surveying his collection. There were poisons he could use, and a set of explosive tags that had the secondary effect of releasing a cloud of paralyzing gas, a snake in a specimen jar reminded him of the altered snake Summons that he could call upon… And then he came to a particular vessel—a clay jar covered in suppression and containment seals.

_Ah, I almost forgot about these._

Orochimaru chuckled and very carefully packed the jar up for transport.

_It would be a shame if I wasted this perfect opportunity to finally give them a test…_

_

* * *

_

Minato bit his lip as he perused a specific section of the Hokage's private library. For every summoning contract that was either bound to a bloodline or a student-teacher line in Konoha there had to be a way for the Hokage to be able to contact those creatures directly as well. Skimming the labels of the scroll cubbyholes, he'd so far spotted the summoning scrolls for the dog contract, the slug contract, the tapir contract, the monkey contract—

_Here it is._

He carefully pulled the scroll for the toad clan out and carried it to a table where he unrolled it. Smoothing out the paper, he admired the chains of seal marks that formed the summoning circle. Ordinarily he didn't need a scroll to call upon the toad clan as he'd signed a contract with them in his own blood, but ever since he'd first fully transformed he hadn't been able to summon a single toad. That either meant that there was a block on his name, or his name had been erased from the contract. So he needed to use the Hokage's scroll to get in touch with them and sort things out.

Biting his finger so that it bled, Minato performed the appropriate sequence of hand seals and slammed his hands down onto the scroll, shoving a finely molded spike of chakra into the summoning seals.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!"

There was a burst of white smoke and then the diminutive Fukasaku materialized.

"Eh? What's this abou—"

The green caped toad looked rather humorous with his large mouth hanging slack at the sight of Minato, but the blond man didn't laugh.

"I'm terribly sorry if I'm interrupting something, Fukasaku-sama, but I have a question," Minato said humbly.

"…Humph!" the old toad croaked as he regained his composure. "You've got some nerve summoning me!"

Minato bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry if my condition brought shame upon the illustrious toad clan. Jiraiya-sensei was sure that there would be no conflict—as I am not technically a demon but a cursed human."

"That is what he told us," Fukasaku grunted, puffed out his throat sack. "He took full blame for the idea." The demon toad lowered his bushy eyebrows thoughtfully. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you, boy. As far as anyone knows, lycanthropy drives humans mad when they transform by moonlight."

"Not always," Minato smiled without any humor in it. "I was fortunate. Had I been in just about any other situation when I first changed, I surely would've gone mad with the knowledge I had at the time."

"Oh?" Fukasaku grunted, tugging at the loose skin at his throat.

"I would love to explain, but first I was hoping to find out if my name has been removed from the contract."

"Removing a name from a summoning contract is tricky," the toad replied. "We merely placed a block on your name. …Were you hoping to have your summoning privileges restored?"

"Only if it would not harm the reputation of the toad clan," Minato said.

"…That would depend," Fukasaku said after a moment's thought. "I would need to consult the elders on the matter. And are you still a part of Konoha? We don't associate ourselves with rogues."

"I very much hope to return to Konoha's service," he answered. "I think that Hokage-sama wishes for me to serve him again in some capacity as he allowed he entrance into his library and use of his scroll to summon you."

"That is the plan," the Hokage said as he entered the library with a small cloth-wrapped object in his hands. "With your returning health, I'm sure that you're becoming restless and I could always use more help."

"Hokage-sama," Minato bowed as the old man approached the table.

"If you were interested, I was hoping that you would reenter ANBU for a time," Sarutobi said, unwrapping the object to reveal a ceramic animal mask.

Minato had done a brief stint in ANBU before he'd taken students under the codename Falcon. Instead of a bird mask, the one that the Hokage offered him was canine with black markings, one of which looked suspiciously like a sideways crescent moon on the brow. He stared at the mask in deep thought for a moment.

Ever since that one full moon, he'd felt that he'd lost his future, and he'd lost his purpose. It had been hard, drifting from place to place without any notion of where he was going or what he should be doing. He'd had no one to follow, no goals to work towards, no people to protect.

He didn't just want to have some purpose again, he needed it.

"What would my codename be?" Minato asked as he gingerly accepted the canine mask from the Hokage's hands.

"Most of the animal names are currently in use, so I was thinking of Mangetsu," the old man replied.

"'Full moon'?" Fukasaku snorted from his seat on the table.

Minato smiled wryly. "That's fitting, I suppose. I would very much be honored to rejoin your service, Hokage-sama, in whatever capacity you require."

"Thank you, Minato." The old man clapped a hand to the werewolf's shoulder. "When you are finished meeting with Fukasaku, Yamato will be waiting outside the library to help you get equipped and set up."

The Hokage exchanged some pleasantries with the old toad, and then withdrew to attend to some other business.

Minato studied the mask in his hands. He hadn't particularly enjoyed working in ANBU before, but it was something to do. Kushina was back in her own country and probably forever beyond his reach. And Naruto…he'd never meet. He'd never be Hokage, and would probably never be able to roam around Konoha again without this new mask.

So all that he had left was this.


	14. Into the Trials

**Chapter 13**

_Into the Trials_

Naruto dashed towards the Academy building, cursing his alarm clock for coming unplugged so that he woke up late.

_Sasuke and Sakura-chan are going to kill me!_

Being late to class or team training was one thing, but being late for participation in the Trials was something else entirely.

All the way up to the week before, it hadn't looked like Team Seven was going to be entered in the Trials. Then, at the very last minute, Kakashi-sensei gave them the permission slips they needed without any real explanation. Well, the jounin might've explained something to Sasuke in private, but the Uchiha had looked humiliated and pissed off so Naruto wasn't sure if it had anything to do with why they were being given the chance to enter the Trials this year.

_Why the heck are we supposed to report to the Academy for the Trials anyway?_ the blond boy wondered as he ran. _Lecture classes are on hold for all school-age genin throughout the Trials so—_

_ It's not a written exam, is it?_

Written exams were the bane of Naruto's existence. Whenever the pieces of paper were laid out before him and the clock started, his mind would blank as the questions overwhelmed him. Even multiple choice tests were impossible as he always doubted the answers that he thought about picking.

_Oh please don't let it be a written exam!_

Rounding a corner, Naruto almost stumbled into Sasuke.

"Watch it," the Uchiha boy grunted.

"Why are you so late?" Sakura frowned, but then tossed out another question before he could answer. "Did you remember to bring the permission slip?"

"I…" Naruto dug around in his pockets and almost panicked when he didn't immediately find the folded piece of paper, but then he grasped the crumpled up form he smoothed it out and showed it off. "Yeah, I got it! Signed and everything!"

"Hurry up then," Sasuke muttered as he turned and slouched off towards the Academy building two blocks away. "We don't want to be late."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the back of Sasuke's head but followed along with Sakura.

Team Seven entered the Academy building and set off for the room number written on the permission slip. They came to a room with the number 301 over the door—the right number—but Sasuke and Sakura walked past it. Naruto was baffled.

"Hey, isn't that—"

"Quiet," Sasuke hissed as they passed another squad of genin headed for the classroom.

"It's a genjutsu," Sakura explained. "Look."

And then Naruto noticed that all the other room numbers started with a two instead of a three, which meant that this was the wrong floor.

"Well," Naruto frowned, "shouldn't we tell—"

"No," Sasuke said as they headed up the next flight of stairs. "It thins the competition. If they can't spot a sloppy illusion, they don't belong in the Trials."

"…Alright," Naruto muttered. _That makes sense, I guess…but it's not very nice._

"This is supposed to be a test, Naruto," Sakura reminded him as they approached the real room 301. "We're a team and we're only supposed to help each other."

Room 301 was one of the largest classrooms in the entire Academy. And it was filled with genin squads from Konoha and multiple lesser ninja groups, like Kusa, Taki, Ame, and Hoshi. Some teams were made up of genin the same age as Team Seven, but most were older teenagers and even some young adults. The genin crowd milled around the rows of desks, so it was clear that the test hadn't started yet.

"Good, we're not late," Sakura sighed in relief.

"Sasuke-kun!"

A blonde ponytail almost smacked Naruto in the face as Yamanaka Ino latched onto Sasuke's arm.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed furiously, glaring at her ex-best friend.

"I knew I'd see you here, I just knew it!" Ino squealed in delight before casting a disparaging glance Sakura and Naruto's way. "And you two, too…seeing as you're Sasuke-kun's teammates."

If looks could kill, Sakura would've incinerated the bubbly blonde with her green-eyed glare.

"Ino would you stop being troublesome?" Shikamaru complained as he and Chouji slipped through the crowd to join with their female teammate.

"Hi Shikamaru, hi Chouji!" Naruto grinned and waved. "You guys are here, too?"

"Asuma-sensei thought we were ready to try it," Chouji nodded cheerfully.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"Get off me," Sasuke growled as he tried to extract his arm from Ino's grasp.

There was an excited bark and then Akamaru skidded into the group, bouncing up and down in front of Chouji. _"(Hey, Chouji! Would you share some potato chips with me? I'm hungry!)"_

"Akamaru!" Kiba scolded as he caught up with his puppy. "Don't run off like that! And stop pestering Chouji for chips." The Inuzuka blinked as he caught sight of his old classmates. "Heh, so Teams Seven and Ten are here too, eh? Shino, Hinata, check this out!"

Kiba's two other teammates weren't far behind the dog boy. One was a boy wearing a long, heavy coat with round shades. The other was an androgynous sort of individual with short dark hair and a shapeless beige coat. Naruto indentified the boy with the shades as Shino, who he sort of remembered from class, but he wasn't sure about the other kid—Hinata could be a boy or a girl's name and with the kid staring down at the floor Naruto couldn't decide what gender the person was.

"Just so you guys know," Kiba said to them as he placed his scruffy puppy on his head. "Team Eight is going to kick all your butts, so watch out!"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as he tried harder to shake Ino loose from his arm.

"Let him go, Ino-pig!" Sakura hissed as she tried to help detach the blond girl from the Uchiha's limb.

The three struggled for a moment before Sakura slipped backwards and crashed into—

…Someone.

He was a Konoha genin who didn't look too much older than the rest of them. His black hair was trimmed into a shiny bowl cut and his eyebrows were so bushy that they looked like caterpillars. He was dressed in…green spandex…with orange legwarmers…bandages around his hands and wrists…and a red-cloth hitai-ate for a belt.

_Who's this weirdo?_ Naruto wondered.

"Ah!" the strange boy blinked his large, round eyes. "Who are you?"

"I, uh, I'm Haruno Sakura," the pink-haired girl gulped as she regained her footing. "I'm sorry that I—"

The mysterious stranger abruptly knelt before her and took her hands.

"A most fitting name for such a youthful and beautiful flower!" he declared with shining eyes. "I am Rock Lee!"

Lee rambled on and on in flowery language to Sakura about her beauty and how he wished to win her heart. Sakura stood frozen and pink-faced. Ino started snickering and when she tried to quiet the giggles she just ended up snorting…like a pig. And everyone just stared.

"…and should I fail, I will—"

"Lee!" A brunette girl with her hair done up into a pair of buns walked up to Lee and grabbed his spandex-covered arm. "Don't disappear like that! Leave this poor girl alone and come on."

"But," the boy protested, "Tenten—"

"Save it," Tenten said sharply and dragged the lanky kid off. "Neji-kun's waiting on us. We've got the Trials to pass, remember?"

Barely a minute later, they were gone.

"…Weirdoes," Kiba snorted. "I bet they're push-overs."

"N…n-no…" The voice was so quiet and frail that it was nearly swallowed up by the muted chatter that filled the large classroom from all the other teams assembled inside. "N-Neji-nii-san's t-team…is s-strong."

"You think they're strong, Hinata?" Kiba asked. "…Whatever, we'll still kick their butts!"

The Hinata girl (Naruto was pretty sure that the kid was a girl now) still didn't look up from her standard blue sandals and fidgeted restlessly with her fingers.

"You should never underestimate an opponent," a new voice said, and all three teams of genin turned to find an older teen with glasses and silver hair in a ponytail smiling at them. "I'm assuming that this is your first time undergoing the Trials."

"What's it to you?" Sasuke replied in quiet challenge.

"I've tried the Trials every year since I've been eligible," the older genin said. "I just thought I'd offer some friendly advice, seeing as we're all Konoha-nin here. My name is Yakushi Kabuto, by the way."

Naruto tilted his head as he studied the older boy. _He wants to give us…advice?_

"What sort of information could you provide us?" Shino asked, speaking up for the first time.

"The tests change every year so there's not much I can say about that, but…" The older genin grinned and pulled a notebook out of one of his pockets. "I like knowing everything that I can about possible human opponents so I've collected information on all promising genin in Konoha and as much as I can find out about possible foreign participants in the Trials. Would you like to hear about anyone in particular?"

"Rock Lee and his team," Sasuke said before anyone else could speak up.

"Alright…" Kabuto flipped through the pages of his notebook before finding what he was looking for. "Rock Lee's squad is a year ahead of you and has given up their number designation and is now called Team Gai after their sensei: Maito Gai. They've completed an impressive number of missions for their age with a very high success rate. Miyagi Tenten specializes in weapons, Hyuuga Neji is considered a genius in his family's fighting style, and Rock Lee appears to rely solely on taijutsu. From what I've gathered, they're the most promising team of their year."

"Whoa, really?" Naruto blinked. _That bushy-browed kid's team is that good?_

"Really," Kabuto nodded and raised an eyebrow in Naruto's direction. "What's your name?"

"Naruto," the blond replied.

"Naruto…what?"

"Just Naruto."

"Odd," Kabuto remarked as he flipped through some of the back pages of his notebook. "Ah, here we are… Team Seven, led by Hatake Kakashi and comprised of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and…Naruto. You've done a lot of D-ranks, and two C-ranks…one with special circumstances. Interesting. Sasuke possesses an activated Sharingan and has some talent with basic Katon. Sakura has no notable clan connections and no specialty at this time, although she did place as the top kunoichi in her graduating class. And Naruto…" Kabuto adjusted his glasses and looked closer at the page. "No family information available, non-native of Konoha, affinities unknown, and rumored to be capable of a high-level _bunshin_ technique."

Naruto found himself rather unnerved at how much this guy knew about a bunch of genin not even a year out of the Academy.

"Dude, are you some kind of spy?"

"No," Kabuto chuckled at the blond boy. "I'm just very observant and thorough." The silver-haired boy flashed Naruto a friendly smile. "You seem quite interesting, Naruto; I'll have to try and keep my eye on you."

Naruto swallowed and tried not to shudder.

_Crap._

"Hey, Kabuto, are there any foreign teams we should watch out for?" Shikamaru asked, sounding incredibly bored.

"Well, teams originating from the lesser countries tend to be better on average than Konoha teams—"

"What?" Kiba squawked, offended.

"Since the Trials are held in Konoha, any Konoha team that qualifies can enter," Kabuto patiently explained. "But the lesser villages have to be choosy in who they send. They can't afford to send all qualified genin teams—it would hurt their economies—so they only send the team or teams that they are sure that have the absolute best chance for winning chuunin rank."

Kiba shifted in embarrassment. "…Oh."

"But as to your question," Kabuto said, turning back to Shikamaru, "I'd be careful around the team from Oto."

"Oto?" Sakura repeated questioningly.

"Oto is a newly formed lesser village apparently based in the Land of Rice Paddies. This is the first year that they've sent a team to Konoha's Trials. And since they're so new and so small…" Kabuto adjusted his round glasses, looking a bit embarrassed. "…I really don't have any information about them at all."

"Huh, where are these Oto punks?" Kiba wanted to know.

"Over there," the older genin said and pointed to a far corner.

The trio of Oto-genin stood so that they could eye everyone else in the room. They wore shades of purple and gray and camouflage-patterned fabrics with musical eighth notes on their hitai-ates. One of the boys just looked like an average sort of punk while the second (boy?) was wrapped up like a mummy in bandages and the team's kunoichi had ridiculously long black hair.

_Geeze, her hair's longer than Mom's is!_

The Oto-nin noticed the trio of Konoha teams staring at them and made as if to approach—

"Alright!" a rough voice called out. "Everyone bring their permission forms to the front and get your seat assignments so that the first test can begin!"

Chatter in the room practically ceased as the genin formed a rough line to the desk at the front of the classroom. Naruto tried not to sweat when he turned in the paper that Iruka had signed for him to a grim-faced scarred man dressed in a trench coat. A chuunin standing near the trench coat man gave him a seat number and Naruto scurried off to sit down.

From what he could tell as the rest of the room was slowly seated, no one was sitting by their teammates. Naruto's desk was right up against the wall, and to his left sat Hinata—the dark weirdo girl from Kiba's team. When he craned his neck, Naruto could see that Sasuke was up in the back of the room, and Sakura was seated even farther away, almost up against the opposite wall of the classroom.

_What the heck is this all about?_ Naruto wondered with a rising feeling of dread.

And then the chuunin assistants to the man in the trench coat started passing out papers and pencils.

_No! Not a written test! Wah!_

Naruto was so flooded with panic, he almost missed the man in the trench coat—the proctor for the first trail, he called himself—start talking. He introduced himself as Morino Ibiki and rambled on about how dangerous the life of a demon-hunting shinobi was and how becoming a chuunin wasn't a game. When he removed his hitai-ate and showed them his bald head, which was covered in layers of scars, as a warning about how serious he was, Naruto was finally distracted from his test anxiety.

_Oh gross!_ Naruto shuddered as the man covered his head again._ What the heck chewed on him?_

"Now, if you are still determined to proceed and attempt to gain the rank of chuunin, we will begin with the first trial." When no genin left the room, Ibiki went on to explain the rules. "There are nine questions you must answer within the one hour time limit, at the end of which you will be faced with a tenth question. If you cheat, or if you fail to answer all nine of the questions before it is time for the tenth question, you will fail. And if you fail, your whole team fails." Ibiki set an alarm and placed it on his desk. "Your hour has begun, turn over your test papers and start!"

With sweaty palms and trembling fingers, Naruto turned over his test paper and skimmed the nine questions…

_What the hell? We never learned this!_

It looked like advanced physics questions. One wanted him to work out how far a ball would go if thrown and contained information about drag, the force of gravity, and all sorts of angles. And another question demanded that he complete what looked like a complex chemical reaction. It went way beyond anything he'd ever seen in the Academy.

_This is like…college-level stuff!_

Naruto really started to sweat as he looked over the questions again and again, hoping to find something that he had some idea of how to answer. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see everyone else diligently working on their tests as if nothing was wrong. It made Naruto wonder if there'd been some special class that everyone but him had taken that was allowing them to handle the test so easily.

Despair started to press down on his shoulders as the hour slowly slipped away and his test paper stayed blank. Sakura was going to be so mad and disappointed. Sasuke was going to kill him. They were all going to fail because he was so stupid.

Naruto would've tried cheating, but if he was caught Team Seven would still get the boot. If he didn't put down some answers, his team would be shown the door. And he still didn't know how hard the tenth question was going to be.

_ After all that trouble to get here…it's not fair!_

It really made him mad. It made him _really_ mad. His chakra started to burn in the pit of his stomach and his fingernails started getting a bit sharp so he ducked his head lower in case his pupils got slitted…

…And then the test paper seemed to change. The typed questions looked blurry. The air over the paper looked shimmery, almost like a heat-spawned mirage.

_What the…_

Naruto swallowed hard, sucked in his lower lip, and sharply bit down with one of his fangs so that he tasted blood.

With the sharp sting of pain, Naruto blinked and found a completely different test paper sitting in front of him.

It was easy.

Stupid easy.

The first question asked: _What does 2 plus 2 equal?_

Naruto hurriedly answered all the questions, put down his pencil, flipped his test over, and cautiously glanced around as he relaxed and his subtle demonic features melted away.

_It was a genjutsu._

Some kids had figured it out and were done like he was. But a lot of the other genin hadn't shaken the illusion yet. They just started at their papers blankly with unfocused eyes—still lost in the chakra-spawned lie.

_Man, I still have fifteen minutes left!_

He'd never finished a test so early before so he basked in the accomplishment for a while. Then he got bored, because he had a whole fifteen minutes to wait before facing the mysterious tenth question. And then he noticed that the Hinata girl sitting next to him was still locked in the genjutsu.

She looked even smaller and sadder than she had earlier as she sat curled in on herself, like she wanted to be invisible. Just watching her from the corner his eye made him feel bad. He wanted to help her, but…

_Ah, screw "thinning the competition"!_ Naruto decided as he fiddled with his pencil and then slipped it into his lap. _If she fails, Kiba fails, and I wanna tangle with him later in the Trials!_

Naruto fidgeted with his pencil for a moment longer, and then quickly jabbed the girl in her leg with the sharp end. The sudden pain snapped her out of her trance and she did a double-take at her test. And then with badly shaking hands she hurriedly scribbled out her answers.

And then a short eternity (for Naruto, anyway) later, the alarm went off, signaling the end of the hour.

Everyone still locked in the genjutsu was released and then herded from the room. Any teams found to be short a member because that individual hadn't caught on to the illusion were also removed. And then all the tests were collected, Ibiki glanced them over, and then faced the much reduced sea of chuunin-hopefuls.

"Alright, now for the tenth question," he said ominously with a hard stare. "Before I ask it, I must explain the special conditions. You have the option of answering it, or not answering it. If you choose not to answer the question, you must leave the room and the Trials, but you will be welcome to try again next year. If you choose to answer the question and you answer incorrectly, you will fail and be forever barred from undergoing the Trials. Simply put: you and your teammates will be genin _forever_." Ibiki paused to let the horrified genin chew over this information. "Now, who will withdraw?"

Some hands went up immediately. Others slowly slipped up into the air. And as they and their teammates were escorted from the classroom by the chuunin helpers, Naruto got more and more steamed.

_This is crap!_

When Hinata's shaking hand started to lift from the desk in surrender, Naruto pinned it down, jumped up from his seat, and pointed an angry finger at Ibiki.

"Bullshit!" Naruto declared. "There's no way you stop someone from taking the Trials again if they screw up your damn tenth question!"

"You think so?" Ibiki replied coldly. "I am the proctor of this trial and Hokage-sama has given me permission to oversee my test and enforce whatever consequences that I wish."

"You're bluffing!" Naruto insisted. "And even if you could enforce your threat, I'd just become such an awesome genin that Hokage-sama would have to make me a chuunin! Bring on your stupid tenth question, _dattebayo_!"

Ibiki locked eyes with him for a moment longer before surveying the rest of the room.

"Well, are you all ready for the tenth question?"

When no other genin opted to leave the room, the man in the trench coat chuckled and sat on the edge of his desk.

"Very well…you all pass. You may proceed to the next phase."

Naruto blinked.

"What the hell?" one of the genin asked. "There's no tenth question?"

"That is correct," Ibiki nodded. "There was no tenth question. It was simply a final test of your determination. A shinobi who does not have the drive to complete a hunt, no matter the potential risk, has no business trying to be a chuunin. The more dangerous races of demons, and the hunters who have abandoned their villages in favor of lawlessness, will take advantage of any whose determination falters and—"

One of the classroom windows exploded, a smoke-bomb went off, and when it cleared a girl with purple hair in a messy bun was standing on Ibiki's desk. She wore a trench coat, too, but when she struck pose she reveal that she wasn't wearing much underneath it—just shorts and a fishnet shirt. There was a downright maniacal grin on her face.

"Hey there maggots!" she cried gleefully. "I'm Mitarashi Anko and I'm the proctor for the next trial! …Hey! There's a lot of you left. Ibiki, you're slipping!"

"And you're early," Ibiki shrugged.

"Whatever," Anko pouted. "Come on you little genin worms, follow me! We're going to training ground forty-four!" She leered at them. "Let's go for a walk in the Forest of Death!"

Naruto swallowed hard.

_The Forest of Death…?_

_

* * *

_

Biyokuchi Kasshoku stared up at the massive open gates of Konohagakure no Sato. He looked to be a lean man in his late thirties with messy brown hair and ice-cold blue eyes. He was dressed in black with a dull gray flak vest, and his shinobi uniform was decorated in the blue spirals of his village. His hitai-ate dangled around his neck, a short sword dangled from his waist, and a stalk of grass dangled from his lips.

He eyed the proudly displayed swirled leaf symbol over the gates and sneered.

_The Leaf Village_, he thought scornfully. _What a stupid name for something based in the Land of __**Fire**__! Leaves burn to ash in a second when exposed to a flame…_

He'd make this place burn. He'd set the butchers that lived here at each other's throats. And when the human monsters were busy gutting their neighbors, he'd burn the place down around their ears and smile.

_I'll avenge you, Obaa-san._

His grandmother, the sweet, sweet woman who baked cookies and cakes for the whole neighborhood, had suffered so horribly because of people like these Konoha-nin. She'd taken him in when he'd been just a tiny pup because of how badly his parents fought. She'd raised him up and loved him and been his everything. And every time she saw a large knife, saw blood, smelled blood, it would bring her right back to the killing and she would cry. And the nightmares, oh the nightmares that would make her scream into the night and wake him up even though she slept in the basement to try and be quieter…

_Soon,_ he thought to himself as he approached the chuunin guarding the gates to sign in. _Soon Obaa-san, I'll make it right. I'll make it so that you can sleep at night._


	15. Into the Forest

**Chapter 14**

_Into the Forest_

Hinata was a failure. She was a disappointment. She was worthless.

So why had he done that?

She'd noticed him before. Two years ago, when he'd first been introduced to the class as a new kid (something quite unheard of) he'd been very conspicuous. But, instead of blending cleanly into the rest of the class after that, he'd kept doing things that stuck out. There were his attempts at catching up to his peers and all his spectacular failures at doing so. There were all his loud boasts and ridiculous declarations. There were his paint bombs and—

"Hey, Hinata, come on!" Kiba called, making her jump.

The room was emptying of the genin that were advancing to the next stage and Hinata hurriedly got up and joined her two teammates: Kiba and Shino.

She admired her teammates. Kiba was strong and his teamwork with his puppy, Akamaru, was amazing to watch. Shino was clever and his subtle use of insects made him a dangerous opponent. Even though they butted heads, they were excellent young shinobi with bright futures…and she felt so bad that she was always weighing them down.

_I don't understand why father doesn't just seal me into the Branch Family and name Hanabi the heir to the clan,_ she thought as she followed her teammates out of the Academy and towards the next trial. _The Branch Family is where I belong. Everyone knows it. It is my fate, as Neji-nii-san would say._

Hinata grasped at her right hand with her left, where Naruto-san had touched her to prevent her from withdrawing.

_He's a failure like me _(only he was bright and loud where she was dark and quiet) _so why does he still try?_

_

* * *

_

Sakura was elated. The first trial had been a breeze! The genjutsu had been fairly obvious and she'd had no doubt that Sasuke-kun would've figured it out too, even if he didn't have his Sharingan. Naruto had been her only worry, but he'd pulled through. She could've done without his outburst at the end, but it was all in the past now.

_I wonder what the next trial will be…_ Sakura brushed aside some long strands of her pink hair as she and her teammates followed all of the other genin. _It shouldn't be too much harder than the first one. I'm sure that whole "Forest of Death" thing was just to scare us._

The line of genin trekked farther and farther away from the Academy building, and the village itself. They passed training ground after training ground. And then after over an hour of jogging, they came to a fenced-off section of forest that had several different gates that she could see.

"Here we are!" Anko, the new proctor, cried gleefully. "Welcome to the infamous training ground 44!" She pointed over to a table set up off to the side and manned by some chuunin. "Hurry up and sign your waivers and collect your boxes so that I can explain what you maggots are supposed to be doing!"

_Waivers?_ Sakura frowned. _We've already gotten our parents to sign permission slips. What do we need waivers for?_

Some genin from Kusa actually piped up and asked that question.

"The Forest of Death is a dangerous place and some of you will probably die," Anko shrugged casually. "These waivers are so that your villages or your families can't throw a fit if they get a corpse back after the Trials."

That killed all the whispers in the crowd of genin as they dutifully signed their waivers and then each team received a small wooden box.

"Everybody got their boxes? Break up into your teams!" Once Anko saw that all the genin were clumped in their teams and listening, she smirked. "Alright, this is a test of survival! At the heart of this training ground is a tower. You have five days to get your whole team there. Each team starts with a box given out at random. There are two kinds of boxes, and to gain entry to the tower a team needs to have one of each. So that means…" The young female proctor grinned ferally. "…You'll have to get the box that you don't have from some other team."

Sakura glanced down at their team's box. It was made of wood and painted gray, except for a black dot on the lid. The box wasn't very big—it was a little larger than her palm, but flat and light. She thought about opening it, but the lid was taped to the box with seal-covered papers.

"Now, if the five days pass and you don't make it to the tower: you fail. If you lose your box, or don't get the other box and go to the tower anyway: you fail. If you open any of the boxes: you fail. If you don't make it to the tower with the two boxes with your whole team: you fail. If you die: you fail." Anko put her hands on her hips and sneered at them. "Any questions?"

"What are we supposed to do for food?" Chouji asked urgently.

"It's a survival test, kid," Anko snorted. "There's plenty of stuff to hunt down and eat in there…berries, roots, critters, mushrooms…just watch out for the poisonous stuff. Now any other stupid questions?"

There were none.

"Okay!" Anko pumped her fist. "Each team will be escorted to a gate. At the signal, the gates will open, you little snots will go inside, and the test will start. Okay chuunin-helpers, start escorting!"

Within ten minutes, Team 7 was following some twenty-something chuunin towards their assigned gate. Sasuke looked intensely focused as they neared their entry point, and it made Sakura's heart flutter a bit. Naruto seemed a bit more subdued than she would've expected, with his eyes flicking towards the high wooden fence that sealed off the testing ground every few minutes, but when he caught her glancing at him the blond boy flashed her his stupid foxy grin so she knew he was really okay.

And then, when they reached their gate, Sakura blinked to find Kakashi-sensei standing nearby.

"Oh," the masked jounin blinked his one eye as he peered up from his little orange book. "So you survived the first phase. Good for you."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura eyed the jounin curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"How'd you get here on time?" Naruto wanted to know.

"Just wishing you luck," Kakashi said, half-closing his book. "And I can be on time when I want to be. Considering the difficulty of this test…if I was late, I might never see you again."

Sakura shivered. "This place isn't that bad…is it?"

"Of course it is," the chuunin that had escorted them snorted and gestured towards the fence that surrounded the special training ground. "That's not meant to keep things out, it's meant to keep them _in_."

The pink-haired girl clutched their team's box with white knuckles.

_I guess that kunoichi wasn't exaggerating when she called this place the "Forest of Death"…_

"Remember _Nami no Kuni_ and you should do fine," Kakashi-sensei advised them cheerfully.

And then a horn sounded, the chuunin opened their gate, and the test was on.

Naruto dashed into the training area first. Sasuke was hot on his heels. Sakura stumbled after them on wooden legs.

_If this place is anything like Wave Country, we're going to die!_

_

* * *

_

A trio of young adult Kusa-nin darted through the immense trees of the infamous Forest of Death. And then there were only two. When the two boys realized that their icy female comrade had vanished (it would take a while, they weren't terribly friendly with each other), they looked for her as they couldn't advance through the Trials a teammate short.

They had no idea that she was already dead.

Something that appeared to be their lost teammate stealthily slipped through the training ground. When it was in a quiet patch of forest, the figure stopped and removed a container from its loose, pale robes. The thing removed the numerous seal papers from the clay jar, opened the lid, and then poured out the contents onto the earthen ground.

It looked like shiny black tar, but it quivered like gelatin. Then the slimy thing divided itself into small, slug-like shapes. And the black chunks of slime slowly slithered off in all directions.

The thing that had been the Kusa kunoichi smiled wicked and licked its lips with an overly-long tongue.

"Excellent…"

With that little task completed, the "Kusa-nin" strolled off deeper into the forest without a care in the world. It hadn't come here to compete in the Trials, so it wasn't terribly concerned with this part of the tests. It was far more interested in testing the current crop of genin and visiting a notable landmark or two before it had to leave.

Konoha would eventually search for the lost Kusa kunoichi, even if it was just to return a corpse to _Kusa no Kuni_. But they wouldn't find anything. And it wouldn't be all that unusual. Every few years a genin vanished in this place without any trace.

The Leaf Village would just think that this was more of the same and never consider that the girl had died before ever having walked through the village gates so that a snake could wear her skin…

* * *

Jiraiya sat on the docks of the port village nearest to Uzugakure and watched the seagulls wheel and cry overhead as he ate his lunch. He hadn't gained entry to the Uzu-nin stronghold yet. Every possible entry point that he'd found was either watched or well-secured against intrusion. He had a plan for slipping through, but that had been put on hold until recently.

Rumors of civilians disappearing had reached his ears and he'd looked into it, thinking there might be some human traffickers preying on the island nation. But that wasn't what he'd glimpsed a few nights back. That night he'd happened to spy Shadows, Uzu's version of ANBU, gathering up a few drunken civilians wandering around the fringes of town and forcing them into a boat. Jiraiya had followed them by demon toad until the Shadows' boat passed through a barrier set up around a small, rocky, offshore islet where Jiraiya couldn't follow. Those intoxicated young men had yet to be seen again.

Now the Toad Sage really had to get inside Uzugakure and find out just what the hell was going on behind their walls.

Uzu's weak point was food. The village residents needed to eat and since they didn't grow many vegetables or fish, they had to buy it from the surrounding civilian villages. Carts carrying food would travel to Uzugakure every morning, Uzu-nin would briefly take control of the horse-drawn carts to bring the goods within the walls and unload them, and then the carts would be given back to their owners and the civilians would leave.

_That's the way in,_ Jiraiya nodded to himself. _They search those carts for stowaways, but they won't care about a little toad. I just need to find one small enough and ordinary-looking enough…_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke chased after the idiot, Naruto, who was running headlong into the Forest of Death with no direction and no plan. He glared at the moron's predominantly orange attire and wished that Naruto had decided to wear something less eye-catching for once. With a flashy idiot and an annoying, weak fangirl Sasuke knew that it wouldn't be long before some other team tried to prey on them for their box.

His unhappy mood was further soured by Kakashi-sensei's little send-off. Seeing the silver-haired jounin reminded him of what he'd learned about Team 7's entry into the Trials. Just thinking about it made him grind his teeth.

_"Sasuke," Kakashi-sensei said as he pulled the boy aside after handing out the permission slips. "Should your father gloat when he sees you have this form, kindly inform him that his attempts to pressure me into entering Team 7 had no influence over my decision."_

To hear that his father had felt the need to try and help him get into the Trials was humiliating. His father had so little faith in his ability to impress his own sensei that he had gone out of his way to try and twist Kakashi's arm. It undermined all of Sasuke's efforts to impress his dad and prove his worth.

This fact, and Kakashi-sensei's unwitting reminder of this fact, made Sasuke very, very irritable.

The second that Sasuke got ahead of Naruto, he took the orange-clad morons legs out and brought their run to an abrupt halt.

"What the hell?" Naruto squawked indignantly from his sprawled position on the dirt.

"Shut up!" Sasuke snapped. "Enough running around; we need a plan so that we can advance to the final trial so that I can get promoted and get away from you."

Naruto was taken aback by his statement, but only for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with me or Sakura-chan!" the blond insisted, leaping to his feet. "And even if you get promoted, who's to say it'll get you away from us, huh?"

"It will, and there's a lot wrong with you," Sasuke retorted. "Now, we need to—"

"Who said you were the boss?" Naruto angrily demanded.

"Without Kakashi-sensei here, I'm the only one at all qualified to make decisions," Sasuke snorted.

"I'm not that stupid!" Naruto insisted. "And Sakura-chan's as smart as you are!"

"So?" Sasuke sneered. "She'll go along with whatever I want." _She's a fangirl, she'll do whatever she thinks will please me._

"Bastard!" Naruto snarled, obviously not having any better comeback.

"You know, a bastard technically is a child born out of wedlock or a child of questionable parentage," Sasuke blandly replied. "My parents are married and there's no doubt that they are my parents. What about you?"

Naruto was rendered speechless for a blissful few minutes while the boy glared and trembled.

"Now that you've shut up," Sasuke grumbled, "we need to find some advantageous position where we can ambush other teams. Picking a spot near the tower would be best, it's a choke point. Any team that heads for the central tower is likely to have both of the required boxes and—"

The dark-haired boy had to cut himself off as he dodged from Naruto's angry swing.

"You think you're so great because you're an Uchiha!" Naruto hissed. "Because you have those fancy eyes that let you learn jutsu and kick-ass in a snap! But really…you're just a spoiled brat! You have everything and you're still not happy!"

Sasuke sneered at the idiot.

He was most certainly not a spoiled brat. He didn't wear fancy clothes or live in an enormous mansion or spend money like water. He was never left wanting, sure, but he had never been overindulged by his parents. either.

And he most certainly didn't have everything. He didn't yet have the skill and strength to surpass his older brother. Nor did he have his father's respect and love. The way things were going, it felt like he would achieve the former long before the latter.

"What makes you think I have everything?" Sasuke challenged. "What would you know about my family?"

"You were born in this village, you have a clan, you have a family, you have an older brother, and you have a mother that loves you," Naruto listed without hesitation. "What else could you possibly need to be happy?"

"My father doesn't think much of me," Sasuke bitterly admitted. "I'm just a useless second son after my genius brother. I need to earn his respect."

"From what I've heard about him, your dad sounds like an asshole," Naruto remarked. "You'd probably do better without him."

Sasuke saw red. In a flash he had Naruto by the collar of his garish orange coat and slammed the idiot's back up against the trunk of a gargantuan tree. He glared at the blond with the full force of his unbalanced Sharingan.

"Don't you dare insult my father! He's the greatest man that I know! To make him proud of me is my greatest dream!"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grunted and tried to wriggle free from Sasuke's grip. "That's what you said when Kakashi-sensei had us introduce ourselves on day one."

"Hn," Sasuke growled as he kept on glaring. And then a thought occurred to him. "You're just jealous that I have a dad and you don't!"

Naruto blinked…and then he _laughed_.

"…What's so funny?" the Uchiha demanded.

"Why the hell would I be jealous?" the blond sniggered. "I don't need a dad. I don't _want_ a dad. _Ever_. If I could've been born without one, I would."

Such a way of thinking was unfathomable to Sasuke. What boy didn't want an awesome father to look up to and seek to impress? The only reason he could see for such a dismissive attitude towards fathers was…

"Just because your mom slept around too much to be able to say who your father was doesn't mean—"

Naruto's hand was around his throat and Sasuke couldn't breathe, let alone finish his sentence, and the blond's eyes…the pupils were slitted like a snake's or a cat's.

"Don't you dare say anything about my mom ever again you rotten bastard!"

_His eyes…that's no genjutsu…my Sharingan would see through it…_

Sasuke let go of Naruto's jacket and tried to pry the hand off his throat, but that only encouraged the other boy to squeeze tighter—

_Whump!_

Naruto went stumbling off to the left from a fist to his jaw—

_ Whack!_

Sasuke dropped to the dirt, gasping for air and clutching at the back of his head.

"Stop fighting!" Sakura demanded in a quavering voice. "Just stop it!"

The Uchiha peered up at the trembling kunoichi, dazed.

_She…hit me? She actually hit me? …Could she be some imposter?_

"Ever since we made it back to the village after Wave Country you've been fighting," the pink-haired girl claimed. "And…and from what I've seen…it's mostly Sasuke-kun's fault," Sakura admitted with shame, as if it was somehow her fault that her idol failed to live up to her fantasy. "It's tearing us apart! We were a team in Wave, and that's part of how we made it out alive. Kakashi-sensei said that we have to be like that again if we want a chance of making it through here to the next trial. So both of you, stop it!"

Sasuke just stared at her with his Sharingan trying to see through the _henge_ because this couldn't be Sakura because that annoying girl would never hit him.

"…So long as the bastard behaves himself, I won't fight with him, Sakura-chan," Naruto promised.

The girl sighed at his answer and turned to the Uchiha. "Sasuke-kun…what about you?"

"…I suppose I can hold off kicking the dead-last's ass until later," Sasuke grunted as he massaged his throat.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura shook her head and pulled the box out of her kunai pouch. "Did either of you see the other teams' boxes?"

"No," Naruto said sheepishly.

Sasuke studied the gray box with the black circle painted on the lid as he deactivated his Sharingan to preserve his chakra. "…Some of the other boxes being handed out had white circles."

"So we're seeking a white box," the girl nodded to herself. "This test is like a mission, and our objective is to obtain a white box without losing our black box within the five day time limit."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. _Why must she restate the obvious? For the dead-last's benefit perhaps?_

"Sasuke-kun, your strategy for getting the white box is a good one, but to maximize our chances of success I think we need to be flexible," Sakura said, her voice gaining some strength. "We need a fallback plan if there's no good place left by the tower to set up an ambush, or if time is running out and we haven't snared anyone."

"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We could use Naruto as bait to draw in other teams. Who wouldn't want to take on an idiot that wears orange all the time? He's an easy target."

"Bastard!" Naruto hissed.

"Shut up before I hit you both again!" Sakura threatened, cracking her knuckles. "That sounds like a last resort tactic, Sasuke-kun. Another Plan B would be better. And what are we going to do about food and water? If we end up spending most of the five days out here we'll need to have something to eat and drink."

She had good points, though Sasuke wasn't about to admit it and give her the mistaken idea that he was complimenting her. If she thought he was complimenting her, it might fuel her vain hope that he might magically fall in love with her, which would never happen. So he got up, dusted himself off, and started walking deeper into the forested training field.

"Let's discuss this as we walk," the Uchiha grunted. "The longer we just sit out here arguing, the more we look like targets…"

* * *

Naruto tried not to fidget as he and his team crept through the Forest of Death. They'd been scouting around for a good place to camp and ambush for a couple of hours already. Aside from a few close calls with teams that they weren't ready to engage yet and a few minor run-ins with oversized wildlife, they hadn't done much else.

This forest wasn't at all like the forests he was used to. The trees were incredibly massive. There were bugs crawling around that were the size of cats and dogs. And the air…there was something about the air—how it tasted, how it smelled, how it felt on his skin—that unnerved him.

_I don't like it in here,_ he decided. _It's creepy as hell…_

To try and distract himself from the general creepiness of the place, Naruto glowered at the red and white _uchiwa_ fan stitched on the back of Sasuke's shirt. He really didn't like Sasuke right now. The spoiled brat had pushed all his buttons and Naruto had almost given himself away. Naruto really couldn't understand why the Uchiha wasn't at all grateful for what he had.

_I don't see what the big deal is about dads,_ Naruto scowled. _Sasuke has a mom __**and **__a big brother. He shouldn't need anything else._

Mothers were vitally important. They grew and gave birth to children, took care of them, raised them up, loved them, and protected them. Fathers, in contrast, were only needed to get the mothers pregnant in the first place, and then could just disappear with no harm done.

_If I were Sasuke, I'd just worry about making my mom happy with me. His dad's an asshole so I'd just forget about him. And his brother…it would be nice to have a brother._

Naruto had met all sorts of people between the time with his mother and the time he'd lived in Konoha. He hadn't encountered many shining examples of parents in the homes that he'd stayed in. But he'd met other foster kids, some of them with siblings, and he had a good idea of how their relationships worked.

Sometimes they'd annoy each other or beat each other up. But most of the time siblings would look out for each other; defend each other if they could. Brothers and sisters were there for each other, especially when it counted the most.

He wished he had that.

_A brother would've been nice._ Naruto tore his glare away from Sasuke's back to stare at the dirt under his blue sandals._ Or even a sister._

But he didn't have siblings. All he had was his mother. And he needed to get strong enough to save her.

_I need to focus,_ he reminded himself sternly. _I need to pass these trials and become a chuunin. I need to be stronger, and if becoming a chuunin gets me away from Sasuke and his bastard-y-ness, all the better!_

And then Naruto crashed into Sakura's back.

"Hey, what the—"

Then he saw the thing that had stopped Sasuke and Sakura in their tracks, and his jaw hit the ground.

_What the hell?_


	16. Fox Bones and Snake Fangs

**Chapter 15**

_Fox Bones and Snake Fangs_

Naruto's initial impression was that it was a really freaky opening to a cave. Then he saw through the layers of tree roots, vines, and moss and realized that it wasn't a cave mouth at all. It was a toothy animal skull…the size of a _house_…with the rest of the skeleton presumably buried in the massive tree-covered mound the rose up behind the half-buried skull.

"What the hell is it?" Naruto squeaked, dimly noting that the creepy sensation in the air had quadrupled here.

"What is it?" a dark voice called out from seemingly everywhere and nowhere. "Why, this corpse is the source of the Forest of Death…"

Team 7 immediately fell into a defensive posture and scanned the dense trees around them for the speaker, but they saw no one. Naruto tried to subtly smell around, but he all caught was the scents of the forest—trees, dead leaves, a whiff of something furry, decay…nothing human. Sasuke was using his Sharingan, but he didn't seem to be able to see anything. Sakura clutched a kunai in her hands and looked very nervous.

When none of them called out to the voice, the disembodied and genderless speaker called out them again.

"Two hundred and fifty years ago the man who would become the Shodai Hokage and the leader of the Uchiha clan, Madara, set out to hunt down and destroy the lord and master of all Kitsune, the Kyuubi no Yoko. They engaged the monstrous fox near the northern border of the Land of Fire with a small army of their best shinobi and battled the demon for a day and a night. Just as they were gaining the upper hand, the Kyuubi, sensing its imminent defeat, broke away and raced towards the infant Leaf Village with the intent of destroying it in its death throes…"

A dry chuckle echoed through the trees and made the genin trio shiver.

"The Kyuubi no Yoko very nearly succeeded. But, at this very spot, the rest of Konoha was waiting, under the command of the Shodai's future bride. When the Kyuubi arrived, she used her unique chakra to bind the fox down for a few precious minutes. With the fox held in place, Madara incinerated it with his forbidden fire technique, and the Shodai seeded the charred corpse with his _Mokuton_-spawned trees, burying the demon's bones. But, even though it was dead…the Kyuubi's evil still lingers."

The laugh came again and Naruto jumped when he suddenly spied a figure leisurely crouching on the half-buried skull of the nine-tailed demon.

"The hatred of the Kyuubi seeped into the soil," the heavily-robed figure almost purred. "It's what makes the trees here grow so large. And, by virtue of living here, the animals are corrupted into pseudo-demons. To keep it from spreading, the Shodai's wife had the fence built around this forest and infused it with powerful seals."

The mysterious person lifted so that its face could be seen underneath the shield of its broad-brimmed straw hat. It looked female, but the voice almost sounded like a man's. Naruto finally spied a hitai-ate and thought it was the symbol was of Kusagakure no Sato.

"To think, even two and a half centuries later, the seals on the fences are still needed to keep the Kyuubi's evil at bay," the Kusa-nin remarked, apparently to herself (himself?). "The power of the Kitsune is truly something…" The Kusa-nin glanced down at them, as if really noticing them for the first time. "I'm surprised…the aura that lingers here tends to drive little genin away from this spot."

Naruto shivered and tried not to give in to the impulse to rub at his skin. The air felt slimy and prickly and foul. He wanted to turn tail and get the heck out of there, but Sasuke wasn't moving so Sakura wasn't going anywhere so Naruto was stuck.

"Hmm, an Uchiha…how nice," the Kusa-nin hissed. "A girl with pink hair…amusing, but worthless. And…I suppose you would be a fool."

The blond genin flinched and glared at the mysterious Kusa genin. _Jerk!_

"There are so many Uchiha running around," the foreign ninja sighed, fixing its eyes on Sasuke. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, son of Fugaku and Mikoto," Sasuke informed the stranger proudly. "Which box does your team have? And where are your teammates? They don't seem to be around."

"You want to take that guy on?" Naruto hissed so that only his teammates could hear.

"If that Kusa-nin is really alone and has the right box, we'd have a real advantage," Sakura reluctantly pointed out.

"A son of the clan head?" the Kusa-nin said, sounding downright gleeful. "It's always nice when something like this falls into my lap… Don't worry about boxes. Allow me to test the strength of your Sharingan…if you've managed to awaken it, that is."

"If you don't have the box we need, we're not wasting our time with you," Sasuke declared. "Let's go," he whispered to his teammates. "If she pursues, use _bunshins_ to lose her."

"I'm sorry, but you don't have a choice," the Kusa-nin said, suddenly on level ground less than two yards away from them. "If you don't hurry up, I'll be the one to make the first move."

Naruto felt all the hairs stand up on his head. Now that it was closer, he could smell the Kusa-nin. It smelled like death and maybe snakes—barely human at all.

"Run," Sasuke hissed. "I'll catch up."

And then the Uchiha was charging the mysterious Kusa-nin with a kunai drawn.

"Sasuke?" Naruto yelped. _What the hell?_

It was hard to follow what happened next, it went down so fast. The Kusa-nin knocked off its broad straw hat, revealing a feminine head (but Naruto still wasn't convinced that the figure was a for-sure female) as Sasuke swiftly closed the few yards that separated them. And then they collided in a lightning-fast taijutsu tangle. For every punch and kick that Sasuke threw, the Kusa-nin either dodged or blocked. From what Naruto could see, Sasuke wasn't giving the fight his absolute all; his eyes had gone back to black instead of staying the blood-red of Sharingan.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed, tugging on his sleeve. "Let's go! Sasuke-kun will handle her."

"It doesn't look like he is," Naruto argued. "And besides, if we stay we'll have numbers on our side. Teamwork, remember?"

"But Sasuke-kun said—"

Naruto was already moving in, burying any misgivings or hesitation to join in the fight.

The Kusa-nin had quickly dragged the fight up into the tree branches. It looked like Sasuke had gotten frustrated enough to crack out his _kekkei genkai_ again as the Uchiha was moving much faster, and even landed a punch. But then the Kusa-nin cranked up the pace, proving that the foreign ninja had been holding back.

Naruto found a shadowy spot up in the canopy where he couldn't be spotted by the two battling genin. He hesitated for a moment before generating three _kage bunshins_. The blond (and his copies) grinned wildly and darted in with the intent to attack from four different directions almost simultaneously.

When the Kusa-nin did a few acrobatic flips to avoid Sasuke's kunai, Naruto rushed for its left side…and the right side, the head, and the feet, too. With fluid, almost serpentine strikes, the Kusa-nin destroyed the clones going for the head and right side, knocked the real Naruto down towards the ground many feet below, and slid out of the way of the last clone, causing its attack on the feet to fail. And then, while Naruto was struggling to fall in a way that wouldn't break anything when he landed, his sole remaining _bunshin_ was nailed by the Kusa-nin's kunai.

"Solid _bunshins_," the Kusa-nin mused aloud, as Naruto caught himself on a low-growing tree branch. "And no element involved in their structure, just pure chakra… A powerful fool, then."

Sasuke tried to take advantage of the Kusa-nin's apparent distraction and pinned the other genin down with a web of wires. The Uchiha brought the ends of the wires to his mouth and breathed fire down them after a few quick hand seals. A small inferno consumed the trapped Kusa-nin, and Naruto gawked at the sight.

_Did…did Sasuke seriously kill that guy?_

"Sasuke-kun…did you kill her?" Sakura squawked.

The chakra-fueled fire quickly shrank down to a few flickering flames and Sasuke moved in to examine the body…

"No, I didn't get her," the Uchiha called down to them. "She replaced herself with a mud clone."

"Really?" Naruto blinked.

"Let's get out of here before she regroups and decides to come back," Sasuke said and started to jump off the high branch he was perched on—

"That was a nice warm up, but I'm not done playing with you yet."

The Kusa-nin blind-sided Sasuke mid-leap and knocked the Uchiha into a massive tree trunk.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelped.

"Let's see where your limits are," the foreigner cooed darkly.

And then the Kusa-nin summoned snakes. Two giant demon snakes. One immediately slithered towards Sasuke, and the second…darted for Naruto.

"Yah!" the blond yelped and dove to the ground.

The snake, an immense blue-scaled beast with odd patterns on its hide, simply crashed through the branch Naruto had been sitting on as if was a twig and kept on coming.

_This is not cool!_ The blond tore off through the trees, leading the snake away from the battle, and trying desperately to lose it. _This is so not cool!_

_

* * *

_

Sakura crouched down at the base of a tree and watched as Sasuke desperately dodged both the enormous snake and the Kusa kunoichi. A second snake had chased Naruto away. She'd almost given chase, but that would've left Sasuke alone with the snake and the person who'd summoned the snake. Even though Sasuke had the Sharingan, the Kusa-nin he was fighting was of a much higher level than they'd previously anticipated.

_She can't be a genin,_ the pink-haired girl thought as she watched the Kusa-nin perched on top of the snake's skull as the serpent herded Sasuke in sloppy circles in the trees above. _The strength it would take to summon just __**one**__ of those snakes… She has to at least be a chuunin._

What was a chuunin doing in a test meant for genin? Was she a part of the test? Was she just some interloper in the forest to make trouble and sabotage the Trials?

_What should I do?_ Sakura flinched as the giant serpent bit into the huge trunk of a nearby tree, narrowly missing Sasuke. _What __**can**__ I do?_

"If memory serves," the Kusa-nin said conversationally as her snake kept trying to eat Sasuke. "The head of the Uchiha clan has another son. Itachi, isn't it? Perhaps I should challenge him to get a better feel for the strength of the Uchiha these days…"

That goaded Sasuke into a risky attack. With a snarl the Uchiha bounded between the snake's coils and tried to stab the older kunoichi. The dark-haired girl caught his kunai hand at the very last second and twisted the boy into a painful hold with his back pressed up against her chest.

"Such an impulsive child," the Kusa-nin purred and licked the boy's cheek with her freakishly long tongue. "I wonder if I should take your beautiful eyes now or later…"

Sakura felt her blood turn to ice water as she watched from her hiding place. _Sasuke-kun!_

"You'll never get them!" Sasuke snapped and managed to move enough to perform a _kawarimi_, leaving the older Kusa-nin clutching a broken tree branch instead of a boy.

"That's what you think," the kunoichi chuckled, and then whispered some instructions to her Summon.

Sakura pressed herself tighter into a recess formed by the tree's giant roots as the snake began seeking Sasuke out, tasting the air for him with its forked tongue. It slithered from branch to branch and from tree to tree as it methodically sought its prey. Apparently bored of her ride, the snake-summoning kunoichi left the serpent's head to perch on the half-buried giant skull that the Kusa-nin had claimed to be the Kyuubi no Yoko's.

_Where did Sasuke-kun go?_ the girl wondered fearfully as she shivered and prayed not to be discovered. _Did he think that I went after Naruto? Did he forget that I was here and run away? …Does he even care?_

The snake hissed loudly and, with a snap of its jaws, flushed Sasuke out of a dense clump of leaves. The Uchiha boy avoided being devoured, but his wild leap brought him right into the snake's massive coils. Sasuke ended up pinned by the snake's tail end up against the base of a tree barely five yards away from where Sakura crouched.

"You should've run away, Sasuke-kun," the kunoichi sighed as she watched from atop the monstrous moss-covered skull. "After all that exercise, I think my pet is hungry…"

_No!_ Panic stabbed at the pink-haired girl's heart as she watched the snake open its huge mouth and slither closer to the trapped, breathless boy. _No!_

And finally she moved.

* * *

"Did you see the size of that spider?" Ino shrilled as she clung to Chouji's arm, shivering.

"Yeah," Chouji nodded as he glanced nervously around, as if he expected the giant spider to have chased them.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru grunted and leaned against a tree.

He really regretted giving in and entering into the Trials with his team. He'd thought it would be less troublesome to go along with what his sensei and Ino had wanted. If he got the Trials out of the way early, it would get him out of the awful D-ranks and would perhaps impress his mother enough that she would ease up on him a little. But now—

_"Gah! Go away!"_

Team 10 flinched at the shout and turned towards it—

A blur of orange dashed past them on their left. Then a few seconds later the single largest snake that the genin team had ever seen rushed after the orange blur. And then it was over, with only some crushed branches and leafy debris to prove that anything at all had happened.

"…That was a really, really big snake," Ino whimpered quietly.

"Who was that?" Chouji wondered, staring wide-eyed.

"Naruto," Shikamaru replied, blinking. "He's the only one troublesome enough to wear all that orange…"

* * *

Sasuke wheezed feebly as the massive, powerful serpent crushed his chest with its coiled tail. He couldn't move and his vision was starting to turn gray. Very soon he would die…and the snake would eat him.

_I can't…I can't die here… I can't die as a…a worthless genin… I have to…I have to…I…_

The snake's head loomed over him with its huge maw gaping wide…

There was a flash of something metallic. The snake's mouth snapped shut in surprise. And then—

_BANG!_

The snake's body tensed before entirely collapsing in a twitching heap. Smoke and blood seeped out of the serpent's mouth. No longer crushed against the tree trunk, Sasuke gasped for air and was left woozy from the sudden rush of blood back to his brain.

_W…what?_

"Little girl…" the Kusa kunoichi hissed darkly. "You killed my snake."

Blinking, Sasuke dazedly looked around and spied Sakura crouched nearby, trembling and trying to glare at the Kusa-nin.

_…An exploding tag,_ the Uchiha realized as the fog receded from his brain. _She put an exploding tag on a kunai and threw it down the snake's throat!_

"I-I won't let you turn Sasuke-kun into snake food!" the pink-haired girl said, trying to sound bold.

The Kusa-nin narrowed her eyes and tensed to strike—

Sasuke took advantage of her distraction and darted in, Sharingan spinning, and slammed his knee into the older genin's side. Before the kunoichi had a chance to recover, Sasuke followed up with a punch to the side of the head. He went for a third hit, but the dark-haired girl managed to lurch out of his reach.

The Uchiha didn't let up. He pursued the Kusa-nin, intent on disabling her so that she couldn't bring his team to any more grief. He wouldn't let the foreigner go after Sakura. The pink-haired girl was too fragile to survive direct conflict with the older kunoichi. And if Sakura was taken out, their whole team would fail.

That was unacceptable.

The boy upped his assault, firing off a barrage of small fireballs. While the foreign girl was busy dancing out of the way of those, Sasuke hurled several shuriken. And when the sharp throwing stars failed, the young Uchiha chased her up the tree, determined to finish things.

He would not be defeated by some older genin. He would not be bested by a foreigner. He would not be beaten by a girl.

As he made another reckless charge he blinked—

It was like he'd been _blind_ before. His vision was clearer, more precise—his perception was so sharp that time seemed to slow down further than it ever had before. Sasuke grinned fiercely as he closed in and landed every blow he made, absolutely sure of his opponent's moves to the point of fearlessness.

His Sharingan was now balanced—each eye possessed two tomoe.

_I can __**see**__!_

With his new edge, Sasuke dominated the battled for the next minute, which was all he needed. Ricocheting off a tree branch, he caught the kunoichi upside-down and drove her headfirst into a lower branch. After a sickening crunch, it was done.

Moments later, Sakura leapt up to perch on a nearby branch.

"Sasuke-kun…" The girl trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"…I suppose I should check her for a box," Sasuke muttered and edged towards the broken body—

The kunoichi's body seemed to peel away like a shed husk. A subtly different figure stood—although it looked like it was slithering—up and languidly turned to face the young Uchiha. Sasuke flinched at the sight of the figure's golden serpent eyes leering at him from the thing's pale purple-marked face.

"Bravo!" the thing chuckled, its voice noticeably deeper and more masculine. "To advance your Sharingan to the complete second level spontaneously like that, and at your young age… You have some real potential, Sasuke-kun."

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded warily, leaping a safe distance away from the mysterious person.

"I am Orochimaru," the serpentine being smiled, licking its lips with its overly long tongue. "Tell me, Sasuke-kun…would you like to have real power?"

* * *

The snake summoner smirked as he stared down the young Uchiha. There was a flicker of interest in the boy's blood-red eyes. But then young Sasuke was back on his guard with a few shuriken in his hand, ready to continue their fight.

It didn't really matter what Sasuke wanted, though. Orochimaru was here to sow the seeds of chaos. If he could acquire a Sharingan or two, all well and good; if not, there were other times and other targets.

Chuckling, Orochimaru reached into one of his pockets and removed a vial of dark violet fluid. Removing the stopper, he carefully inserted his right and then his left upper fang into the small glass tube. Part of his demonic heritage had gifted him with hollow fangs, like that of a venomous snake. He didn't have any venom of his own, but he could store poisons or other liquids in his fangs, which was really quite handy in these sorts of situations.

"I'll give you power, Sasuke-kun," the snake-man smiled in wicked glee. "Just hold still for one minute…"

Sasuke didn't hold still, of course. But that made it more fun. Even with the boy's Sharingan, it wasn't too difficult to chase him around and herd him to one particular branch.

As soon as Sasuke landed on the remains of Orochimaru's old mud clone, the rogue shinobi made a few hand seals and the mud turned into a sticky earthen glue that trapped the Uchiha's feet for a precious few seconds.

_Now for the fun part!_

Baring his fangs, Orochimaru extended his neck (another gift of his mystery reptile-demon father) and struck out at the boy in a viper-like fashion. He sank his teeth into the juncture between Sasuke's neck and shoulder and pumped the fluid along with his own chakra into the wound. The boy immediately started screaming in agony, but Orochimaru didn't detach himself until he was certain that the new curse seal was fully formed.

When the rogue shinobi ended the bite, the boy tumbled off the branch and down to the ground where he continued to convulse until he lapsed into unconsciousness. Sasuke's kunoichi teammate hurried to his side and cradled his limp body, weeping a bit. Orochimaru admired his handiwork for a moment before he decided to move on.

"Enjoy my gift, Sasuke-kun," he laughed as he jumped off deeper into the forest. "Assuming you survive it, of course."

_I wonder…where did that other snake of mine get to?_

_

* * *

_

Naruto ran until his lungs burned, desperate to get some distance between himself and the snake, if he couldn't lose the huge thing completely. He might've run past a few other teams, and he was sure that he'd run right through another squad, but no one had helped out or given chase. Perhaps the gigantic hungry snake that was trying to eat him had something to do with that…

When he tripped on a branch and tumbled to the dirt, he was sure that it was the end for him, so he curled up into a ball and waited… Except no snake gobbled him up. Naruto hesitated for a moment, and then sat up and looked around.

No snake.

"Did I…lose it?"

_Hissss…_

Naruto jumped, whirled around—

—The snake eagerly gulped down the bite-sized shinobi.

With a satisfied hiss, it started the long slither back to its summoner. Hopefully those two other genin were still around, and still on the menu. After that ridiculously long pursuit, the snake was starving, and…

Being cold-blooded, the snake welcomed heat. So when its guts started to feel warm, the Summon didn't mind—that meant that it could digest the boy faster. But its insides quickly grew much too hot. The snake panted…and a burst of blue flame burst from its throat.

Shrieking in agony, the snake struggled to regurgitate its meager meal and speedily reversed its summoning so that it could return home and hopefully recover.

Naruto tumbled end over end a few times before coming to a stop up against a massive fallen log right-side-up.

"Guh!" the half-transformed, snake-slobber-drenched boy gasped, and raised his claws up into the air. "I'm _alive_!"

Once he caught his breath, Naruto wobbled to his feet to wring the saliva out of his clothes and tail—

_Wait a minute._

Naruto's fox eyes darted around warily as he took in his surroundings.

_…Where the hell am I?_


	17. Nature of the Kitsune

**Chapter 16**

_Nature of the Kitsune_

Sarutobi sat in the portrait room and reminisced. He thought back to his younger years when he would come to this room and look upon the portraits of his predecessors and wondered what they might think of him and the job that he was doing. Looking at his own portrait, taken shortly after he had first ascended to his current office, Hiruzen sighed wistfully at the sight of his brown hair and his young face, free of wrinkles and age spots.

_Ah, if only I were young again…_

When people looked at him, they judged him by his visible age and didn't quite seem to believe that he still possessed a sharp mind. With every passing year there was greater pressure for him to select a successor. And had there been any candidates that Hiruzen could've put his faith in, he would've done so already. He knew he was getting old and it was only a matter of time before he suffered a stroke or a heart attack, or his long-time tobacco habit caught up with him.

_Sakumo is dead. Orochimaru is firmly off the list. Dan is dead. Jiraiya is more important as a spymaster, he openly flaunts his vices, and he travels too much. Tsunade doesn't seem likely to ever return. None of the clans would be comfortable with a werewolf, and the Uchiha could even revolt over it. Kakashi shows some promise…but he's years away from being as ready as his sensei._

The old Hokage turned away from his own portrait and peered back through time at the images of the Hokages who had come before him. The large pictures went from color photographs, to black-and-white photographs, to paintings. All were men, except for one woman—Aburame Chou, the Seventh. Over the two hundred and fifty year history of the village there had been at least one Hokage from nearly every major clan, except for the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. By the reign of the Tenth Hokage, Nara Shikato, it fell out of favor to refer to the Hokage by his number (in Shikato-sama's words: _"The higher the number gets, the more troublesome it'll be—just call me 'Hokage-sama' please."_).

Hiruzen's eyes settled on the oldest portrait, the oil painting of Senju Hashirama, the Shodai. He had grown and expanded the forests around the village of Konoha with his _Mokuton_ powers—a rare type of chakra that cropped up from time to time in the bloodlines of his clan. In a time of war and chaos, he'd brought the founding clans together and planted the seeds of the current peaceful era.

_I wonder…a few centuries from now, how will I measure up against the Shodai in the history books?_

"Day-dreaming again, Hiruzen?"

The Hokage blinked and turned towards the doorway of the room to find his wife watching him. She'd been a beauty and an accomplished kunoichi in her day, but the long years had taken their toll. He didn't mind her aged face, though; it was easy for him to remember the way that she'd once looked when he gazed upon her. And he loved her; he'd gone and married her after all.

"Maybe," he chuckled. "Is it time for lunch already?"

"Past time," she replied, folding her arms over her chest.

"Alright, just let me straighten a few things out on my desk and we'll go."

As he was putting the various forms, reports, and scrolls into some semblance of order so that he could take an hour-long lunch with his wife, he came across a particular scroll that made him frown.

"Do I want to know?"

"A new Uzu-nin arrived today," the Hokage said as he unfurled the scroll again and checked the signatures on it.

"To stay? It certainly took them long enough," she snorted. "It's been more than a decade since that Kushina girl left. Who is it?"

"Biyokuchi Kasshoku." The old man shook his head and set the scroll back down. "There's something off about him, though. Normally Uzugakure gives some advance warning before they send one of their ninja for a long-term stay, but he just showed up unannounced."

"Did he have all the right papers?" his wife asked.

"Yes," he nodded slowly, "he did."

"Then if he bothers you so much, put him on the ANBU's watch-list."

"I will," Sarutobi nodded and took her hand. "But first, we go out to lunch."

* * *

Mangetsu brushed his gloved hand over the hub of the seal network and fed fresh chakra into the magical construct, subtly altering the patterns. When he finished, he let his hand linger on the weather-beaten stone for a minute. Months ago, after he'd slain the demon centipede, the last thing he'd thought of was returning to this old cave…

Shaking off the bitter nostalgia, he moved on to the interior of the small natural cavern. Hokage-sama wanted this site converted into a secret outpost for ANBU so he'd altered the seal network so that others could tap into it. Now it was time to clean out his old camp so that supplies could be stashed out of the elements.

The ANBU gathered up the detritus of his old existence and sealed it away into storage scrolls for later disposal. He'd collected bits of litter, like old pop cans, and discarded odds and ends that travelers had left behind—things that he'd had no use for then, and had even less use for now. The electric lantern had been a lucky find, and it could stay where it was; it only needed a little maintenance before it could be useful to future ANBU sheltering here. But the checkerboard had to go.

The cardboard game board was mildew-y, discolored, and starting to warp so badly that it was hard to play on. Less than half of the black and red plastic game pieces were still present, with black rocks and reddish bottle caps substituting for most of the rest of the pieces. As Mangetsu arranged the battered game on a storage scroll to seal it away, he paused and frowned.

_Where's the black knight?_

He'd been lucky to find the little black horse-head when he'd been scratching around the remains of a civilian campsite on the fringes of his territory. It had been a shame that he didn't have a full chess set—he far preferred chess over checkers. But the lonely chess piece had served well as a black checker, and checkers was better than no game at all to play.

The masked man combed the confines of the small cave, but the bit of plastic failed to turn up. He went back and counted all the other checkers and found that all the rest had been exactly where he'd left them. Puzzled, he left the cave and scoured the surrounding ravine, but again had no success.

_Where could it have gone?_ And then a thought struck him. _Did…the fox creature take it?_

It would make sense. The strange fox creature that had sort of smelled like a wolf was the only thing that knew where he had lived before the Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, had stumbled over him. And the odd creature had really liked the chess piece, even though it had always played as the red pieces.

Thinking of the odd fox, he thought back to the verbal report he'd given the Hokage—his debriefing. Near the end, when he had mentioned the creature, the Hokage hadn't been surprised or interested in it. There had been no requests for further details or discussions on the nature of the mysterious creature. Sarutobi-sama had not been intrigued or worried.

Why?

_I'll have to ask him._ Mangetsu finished sealing away the checkerboard and gathered together the scrolls to leave the site behind. _As soon as the lull arrives between the Forest of Death and the arena battles, I'll ask Hokage-sama about it._

_

* * *

_

A supply cart loaded down with bags of rice paused at the gates of the demon-hunting village of Whirlpool County. There was a brief switch where the cart owners temporarily handed over the horse reins to Uzu-nin in exchange for payment. Then the gates creaked open and the cart rattled through to where the grain would be unloaded.

Shortly before the cart made it to the warehouses, a small brown toad leapt out of a crevice formed between rice bags and hopped off into the village. The tiny toad bounded from shady space to decorative bush to shadow, pausing every now and then the scan its surroundings with its bulging eyes. When it found a quiet little alleyway, it hunkered down and opened its mouth.

Jiraiya stepped out of the little toad—a feat only possible through advanced magic—and warily glanced around. Once he was satisfied that he had penetrated the village, he scooped up the little toad and slipped it into a pocket with a little piece of candy as a reward. With his ticket out of the village secured, Jiraiya activated his favorite stealth jutsu so that he blended into his surroundings and carefully skulked around.

Considering the length that the Uzu-nin went to to keep outsiders out, it would probably be a very bad thing for him to be caught.

The streets were dusty and unpaved, but all the buildings that he could see were of fine construction. The walls were brightly-colored, some covered in finely-painted murals. All of the buildings had an ornate, well-crafted feel to them, that seemed out of place when contrasted with the rude roads and the rocky terrain that laid just outside of the village walls.

The white-haired giant walked for about two blocks before he found a pair of older women dressed in traditional yukatas—one red and one green—and gossiping outside of a general store. Jiraiya grinned and tip-toed up to them to better eavesdrop on their conversation. Chatter-box women provided a wealth of information. The vast majority of it was useless, but every now and then there was a real gem…

"…Young people," the older looking lady huffed. "They don't appreciate anything!"

"Which grandchild did what now?" her friend, who looked marginally younger, sighed.

"It's not just my grandchildren, it's _everyone's_ grandchildren!" the silver-haired woman declared. "The ten clans agreed to name this village Uzushiogakure no Sato, not Uzugakure—Uzu_shio_gakure!"

"So what if they shorten it a bit?" the younger woman shrugged. "Uzushio always sounded a bit too elaborate to me anyway."

The older lady scoffed and snapped out a fan—the collapsible kind favored by high-bred women in the daimyo's courts. "It's disgraceful! I remember when this was just a barren stretch of land, and the name Uzushiogakure no Sato was a promise of a grand and hopeful future! Children these days don't appreciate what an undertaking it was to found this village, and under such circumstances…"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the woman's dramatics under the cover of his jutsu. This village had been founded a few years after Konoha. If she had been alive at the time of Uzugakure's founding, she would've been well over two hundred years old! The people of Uzugakure had a reputation for living unusually long lives—the Shodai's wife was said to have lived to one hundred years old before returning to her homeland to die. But a lifespan of _two hundred years_? No human could live that long. Not by purely natural means, anyway.

"Yes, yes, I know," the long-suffering friend muttered.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really do," the woman with the fan grumbled. "The walls were all built by the time that you were born, Kari-chan. You never had to run across whole countries with the knives of hunters lusting for your blood."

_Oh boy, a real drama queen…_ Still, Jiraiya paid attention. At the very least, she could provide a basis for a future character in one of his novels.

"Akemi-sama," Kari sighed deeply. "Please don't be this way. I may not have been forced to go on the run like you, but I remember the early days when everyone jumped at shadows, sure that any moment everything would come undone and we'd all be killed. To be born, grow up, and live under such a shadow is not much better than what you endured."

_What the heck…?_

"I suppose…" Akemi pursed her lips and fluttered her fan in thought. "Our situation has improved since those days, and that would lead to the children being so foolish and disrespectful. At least our clans haven't fallen into shame like those Uzumaki."

_Oh?_

"Indeed," Kari agreed. "How spoiled that little brat must've been to think that she could get away with a dalliance with a werewolf."

"Disgusting!" Akemi spat with a shudder. "The only way she could've done worse was to copulate with stray dogs!"

Jiraiya clenched his teeth in indignation. _Nasty old broads! It wasn't like he'd been consumed by the curse at the time of their intimate relations! Why couldn't my dear student enjoy a woman who loved him, in spite of it all?_

"And that…thing…she birthed…" Kari grimaced distastefully. "How she could stand it I don't know."

The old Konoha-nin decided that he hated these old ladies.

"A hanyou is bad enough in these times," Akemi muttered, "but that little abomination…!"

_A __**hanyou**__?_ Jiraiya went very still under his concealing chakra cloak. _Half-demon? But that—…what?_

"It couldn't speak when it changed, all it did was bark like a dog," Akemi continued with great disgust, "it _had_ to shift with the moon, and silver burned it like all the rest of those curse-hidden beasts. Thank goodness those foolish Uzumaki finally got rid of it! We can't have something like _that_ tainting our bloodlines."

"Most certainly not," Kari nodded gravely.

A rumble of thunder overhead cut short the old ladies' gossip. Akemi closed her fan and retreated into the store that they'd been standing in front of. And Kari walked off down the street…with a slate gray, bushy fox tail swishing behind her.

Jiraiya stared after her, even as it began to drizzle around him, threatening his disguise.

_…Well…shit._

_

* * *

_

Kushina grimaced as she hurried through the rain to the greenhouse. Dinner had been the same old, same old…although her father had been distracted the past few nights. That wasn't really her concern, though; some hopeless suitors were supposed to be stopping by this evening and she intended to hide from them in her green sanctuary.

As soon as she entered, she flipped on the overhead lamps and started squeezing water out of her hair. She really didn't have anything that needed doing; all her plants had been watered and fertilized and pruned and they wouldn't really need anything for two days at least. But perhaps the grandmotherly gardener would be around for her to chat with.

_Huh,_ she glanced around at the tables and shelves cluttered with trays and pots full of various plants, and found that she was the only person inside. _Drat, alone then. I suppose she's staying inside. No sense in going out in the rain if you don't have to._

After wringing out her clothes she went to her collection of gardening tools and went about cleaning them. She rubbed dust and bits of dirt off the trowels and cultivators and scrubbed bits of plant matter off her sets of shears and pruning scissors. Once they were all sparkling clean, like they'd never been used, she started putting them back in their places—

A heavy hand clapped down on her shoulder and she squealed—

"Keep it down!"

Kushina went very still, and then slowly turned around. That voice belonged to Jiraiya. But he couldn't be here. No human was allowed inside, not without express permission and a lot of preparation beforehand. It had never happened in her lifetime.

Yet, when she completely turned around, she saw white hair, red facial tattoos, red and green clothing, and a broad human frame—Jiraiya of the Sannin, without a doubt.

"…How did you get in here?" she asked, dazed. _This can't be real…_

"You have a great deal of explaining to do," Jiraiya said, his eyes cool and hard.

"I do?" she mumbled, clutching at the table behind her to keep from sinking to the floor. _Maybe…this is a genjutsu?_

"Since I've been here, I've seen old ladies with fox tails, foxes roaming the streets that are the size of men, and children with tails playing with little fox puppies that can speak. So tell me," he folded his arms over his chest, "what is going on here? What are you doing with the civilians? What are you doing dealing with Oto?"

"I…what?" Kushina blinked and tried to understand what he was talking about. _Civilians? Oto?_

"If I could venture a guess, I'd say that Uzugakure either harbors Kitsune, or is entirely made up of Kitsune," Jiraiya said, looming over her. "And you would have to be one. It's the only thing that makes sense. So what was it about Minato? Was it because he had potential to become the next Hokage? That way you and your village could have all the influence you wanted over Konoha—"

She snapped. And, as she wasn't wearing her dampening crystal necklace, she went demonic on him. She snarled at Jiraiya, baring her fangs, and then her tails came out, the tips shifting into claws. Her first two tails dug into his biceps, nearly immobilizing his arms, and the next two tails clasped his legs just above the kneecaps, and her fifth and final tail clamped on his throat. She'd choke him so that he couldn't hurl any more vile accusations at her.

How dare he insinuate those awful things? How dare he suggest that she only involved herself with Minato because of his potential to become the next Hokage? How dare he think that she'd only been using him—

_Of course…_

Even though Jiraiya was starting to suffocate, he glared at her as he struggled against her iron hold, like this was what he'd expected all along.

_Of course he would think that…_

With a strangled cry, she flung him across the greenhouse where he smashed a table and destroyed several dozen plants with his landing.

_What else do shinobi know about Kitsune but the absolute worst?_

Kushina flopped to the dirt floor, her five tails limp and harmless now instead of clawed furry tendrils of death, and waited for him to recover and kill her.

_Shinobi thought that Kitsune were so evil and dangerous, they set out to kill them all…_

She'd been in Konoha and had the chance to sit in on the lecture concerning the "extinct" Kitsune demons as a genin. With every stereotype and outright lie that she heard the chuunin instructor say, it had been harder and harder to sit still and not scream at him. As far as the shinobi world was concerned, Kitsune were devious creatures out to create chaos and deceive humanity to get whatever it was that they desired. It was what their ancestors knew from the Kyuubi no Yoko and his ilk, and since Kitsune were extinct, what did it matter if their information was right or not?

_I am a Kitsune, so I must be evil and conniving like all the rest…_

_ …Therefore, like all the rest, I must die._

_

* * *

_

In retrospect, Jiraiya should've expected her tail attack. All the surviving literature on Kitsune noted how their tails were their favorite tool for physical attack above their teeth and claws. But his appearance had caught her so off-guard and he was so upset at her deception, at what her true motives had to be…

Enraged by his discovery, she recovered from her shock and made no attempt to hide her demonic nature when she lashed out at him. Her tails were quick, and strong, and sharp for being nothing but chakra-charged fur. They'd darted out from behind her as quick as striking vipers so that he hadn't realized what was going on until she'd already captured him. As she'd strangled him, he'd dully noted the number of tails that she had and pegged her true age as somewhere around four hundred years old. That made her old enough to be a survivor of the Great Hunt, and added to her motivation to plot against the shinobi world.

_At least I sent a messenger toad to Sensei…_ he thought as he struggled against her iron hold._ Konoha will know about this place. They will be warned, even if I don't make it._

But as his vision started to fade from lack of oxygen, the rage—the red tint to her irises—abruptly vanished from her fox demon eyes, and the red-haired woman hurled him away. It took him precious minutes to catch his breath and regain his feet. Both his arms and legs had suffered minor wounds, and his throat burned from the crushing force of her fifth tail.

However, Kushina made no attempt to take advantage of his weakness. She had collapsed to the ground with her limbs limp and head down. Her tails looked fluffy and harmless now with the tips of them no longer altered into claws. The only movement of her body was her breathing and the claw-like nails of her left hand as they etched lazy swirls into the dirt floor.

"…What are you waiting for, Hentai-sama?" she asked in a soft, dull voice. "Hurry up and kill me."

Jiraiya was startled at her words. But he had a mission to complete. Staying on the far side of the greenhouse, out of range of her tails, he went back to trying to gather information.

"If I killed you, I wouldn't get any answers, would I?" he snorted, and then coughed. "Now, what is this village doing with the civilians and making deals with Otogakure?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, still drawing in the dirt with her claws. "I stopped caring about this place when it made me give my baby up."

He narrowed his eyes at her slumped form. "I don't believe you."

"Of course you don't," she replied. "I'm a Kitsune and everything that comes out of my mouth is a lie. I only speak the truth when it suits my plans. I'm a manipulator and a deceiver. Everything I do is for some evil purpose…isn't that right?"

Jiraiya frowned. "That's what the history books tell us…"

"I know what you must think," she said. "I know it's pointless to change your mind. So I won't bother. But…" She hesitated for a moment and finally glanced up at him, studying him with inhuman eyes. "But if I could have a last request?"

He stared back at her and weighed the risk of agreeing, because if he made a promise his personal honor code demanded that he keep it.

"Find Naruto," she pleaded. "Everyone hated him here, or pretended that he didn't exist. He didn't have any friends. I-I had to give him up." Her fox eyes turned glassy and her voice grew thick. "I had to give him up; if he stayed someone would've probably killed him. I couldn't get my father agree to send him to Konoha, or to you…but anything was better than here." She brushed some of her long red hair from her face and revealed that her ears had gone a bit pointed.

"…You couldn't leave with him?"

"No, of course not," she sneered bitterly. "I'm a woman. I'm needed here to make more little baby Kitsune." She let out a sharp bark of humorless laughter. "Not that I've made any pure-blooded fox babies. I never will, just to spite them all!"

"So you want me to go find Naruto?" Jiraiya said slowly, shifting to try and ease the throbbing of his injuries.

"Yes," Kushina nodded eagerly. "You promised Minato that you'd be Naruto's godfather, didn't you? So you really wouldn't be doing it for me, you'd be doing it for him. And Naruto's a hanyou, so he's not all bad; he's a good boy, he won't turn out like Orochimaru." She was desperate now, which Jiraiya found unnerving. The Uzumaki Kushina that he'd been familiar with had never been desperate, not like this. "He's a good boy, he's Minato's boy. You'll find him and look after him, won't you? Won't you?"

She was begging him, on her knees, with her hands clasped in front of her chest. She still looked very human, just with elongated canines, claw-like fingernails, elfin ears, and fox-like eyes. Her fluffy fox tails half-blended in with her long red hair—being the same color except for the white tips—and almost looked like bizarre hair extensions.

Her desperation seemed genuine. Everything about her seemed genuine. But could he trust that? Was it all an act?

"…Did Minato know about you?" he asked, his hand straying towards where he had stashed the photograph.

"No," she said softly, her eyes falling to the dirt. "No one outside the village can find out. And…he was a human, trying to hold on to his humanity, and sworn to defend humankind from inhuman things. How could he love me if he knew that I'd never been human, and never would be? How could he love me if he knew that I was an _animal_?"

Jiraiya grimaced and slipped the picture from his pocket—

"What is going on here?"

He turned and did a bit of a double-take. For a moment he thought the woman standing at the greenhouse doorway was Tsunade. But this woman was much older and didn't appear to do anything to disguise her age the way that Tsunade would. It was the diamond-shaped chakra seal on her forehead and the authoritative air around her that confused him.

"Who are you?" the old woman with her gray hair done up in buns demanded, focusing her steely gray eyes on Jiraiya. "I don't know you… Goodness, what happened to the flowers?"

Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder and belatedly realized that his rough landing had smashed a table loaded with potted plants. _…Oops._

"He is Jiraiya of the _Densetsu no Sannin_," Kushina told the old woman. "I told you about him, didn't I?"

"…Ah yes, the super pervert who likes to peek into the women's baths," the old lady frowned slightly. And then she gave a start. "How did you get in here? Village security wouldn't let—and you're bleeding!" The old woman in her dusty, faded yukata strode over to him and started fussing over the tears and dark stains on his clothing where Kushina had injured him. "Kushina-chan, you clean up those poor plants and I'll take care of him."

The white-haired man almost expected to be attacked. He wasn't supposed to be in this village. In order to protect the secret of the Kitsune's presence, it made perfect sense to eliminate him.

But the old woman touched him with green-glowing hands—healing chakra—and tended his wounds instead.

As she healed the shallow punctures on his upper arms and legs, Kushina told the woman of what had gone on in the greenhouse. She didn't get very far. When the red-head reached the part where he accused her of trying to use Minato for nefarious purposes, the old woman stopped healing him, whipped out a folded up fan, and cracked him over the head with it. Repeatedly.

"Shame on you!" she scolded. "You deserve whatever she did to you! Shame on you!"

"Baa-chan, he didn't know any better," Kushina sighed. "You know what they think of us. As far as he knows, his assumptions were completely reasonable."

"That's no excuse for being so horribly rude!" the old woman huffed and gave him one final smack for good measure. "And it's not like there hasn't been a Hokage with a fox wife before…"

"What?" Jiraiya squawked.

"When?" Kushina asked.

"Oh long before you were born, Kushina-chan," the old lady sighed and snapped open her fan to stir the still air of the greenhouse.

_Konoha wasn't around four hundred years ago,_ Jiraiya thought with a frown, and surreptitiously counted the red-head's tails again. _None of the hidden villages were around four hundred years ago…_

"So…the number of tails a Kitsune has has nothing to do with age?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course not," the granny replied. "I don't know where humanity got the silly idea that it takes a century for a Kitsune to sprout a new tail."

"I bet some egomaniac wanted to make himself seem more important and made it up," Kushina grunted as she started piling up the plant bits that couldn't be saved.

"Hmm…" The old woman put her fan away and walked around to heal his other side, but paused when she noticed the picture in his hand. "What's this?"

"Something for Kushina," he answered.

"Eh?" The red-head stopped her cleanup efforts at her name. "What's for me?"

Jiraiya handed her the instant photo. She blinked, and then stared at it with great intensity. Her hands trembled, her lower lip trembled, and a few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

"Kushina-chan?" the old woman murmured worriedly.

"I…I'm so happy!" she sniffled and tenderly traced the tip of a claw over Naruto's image. "Minato…he'd be happy, too. He'd be so proud…"

While Kushina showed off the picture to her older companion, Jiraiya watched and sighed. Of all the possibilities he'd imagined before entering this village, uncovering long-hidden Kitsune was not one of them. Now he wasn't sure if he should believe what his ancestors knew of the fox demons, or what the fox demons themselves said.

_What is the true nature of the Kitsune?_

He just didn't know.


	18. Don't Feed the Animals

**Chapter 17**

_Don't Feed the Animals_

When Kiba smelled that bizarre smell, like a curious puppy, he just _had_ to find out its source. Giving the excuse that he had to go pee, Kiba and Akamaru slipped away from the rest of Team 8 to see what was making the funky odor. The Inuzuka boy wrinkled his nose as he followed the trail of the fetid, oily smell through the giant-sized Forest of Death towards its source.

_It's pretty strong so the source can't be too far…_

And then a patch of vegetation rustled slightly just up ahead, bringing boy and puppy to a halt.

"Akamaru," Kiba whispered, "sneak around behind it for an ambush."

_"(Right!)"_ Akamaru woofed softly and the fluffy white and brown puppy trotted off into the trees to approach the suspicious spot on the other side.

After giving his little dog a few minutes to get into position, Kiba slowly moved forward again, all of his unusually sharp senses on high alert. The closer he slunk to the patch of tangled weeds and undergrowth, the heavier the oily smell became. Then, when he was close enough, he cautiously reached out a hand and started to move the leaves out of the way…

The leaves exploded and something black rushed at his face—

…The next thing that Kiba knew, he was on his back with Akamaru worriedly licking at his face.

_"(Kiba! Kiba wake up!)"_

"Guh," Kiba grunted, grimacing at the absolutely foul taste he found in his mouth. "I'm up, I'm up, what the heck?"

_"(Something jumped out of the bushes at you and you yelped, but I didn't see where it went!)"_

Kiba sat up and rubbed at his face to remove Akamaru's slobber. "Can you smell where it went?"

_"(…No,)"_ the puppy whined, ashamed.

"Well—"

"It does not appear that you are 'visiting the little boy's tree' as you said you were," Shino said from his spot leaned up against the base of a nearby tree.

"I was coming back and I tripped!" Kiba snapped as he wobbled to his feet and hefted Akamaru up towards his shoulder.

_"(Your breath smells funny,)"_ the puppy complained as he hopped from Kiba's shoulder to the boy's head.

"Your breath smells worse," Kiba quietly retaliated as he stumbled towards his team.

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata stuttered softly as she fidgeted in Shino's shadow. "A-a-are you al-alri—"

"I'm fine," the Inuzuka grunted, even though his stomach felt a bit queasy and sloshy, like he'd eaten something nasty. "Let's just go get that other damn box so we can be done."

_Blech…_ Kiba grunted and rubbed at his stomach as he followed Shino and Hinata back towards their original path. _I think I need some antacids…_

_

* * *

_

Kasshoku lounged at an outdoor table of a cheap café and nibbled disinterestedly on a sandwich. He hadn't done much in Konoha yet, just settled into a cheap apartment set up for him and got a feel for the village's layout. In a few more days, he felt he could start approaching certain individuals and planting seeds…

A pale-haired Oto-nin with some red facial markings smoothly settled into the seat across the small table from him and Kasshoku frowned slightly.

"I'm acting as the jounin sensei for the Oto-genin entered into the Trials," the Oto-nin said as a way of introducing himself. "Oto's leader wanted me to meet with you and give you information on our top source in this village."

"Source?" Kasshoku asked in a bland voice.

"Once the test in the Forest of Death is complete, look up the Konoha genin Yakushi Kabuto," the Oto-nin advised him. "Every year he enters the Trials, but he never makes it past the Forest of Death. He's gathered a lot of information, which you might find useful. Being a native of this village, he's very well acquainted with its subtleties…"

"Interesting," Kasshoku smirked faintly. "Will he be expecting me?"

"Yes," the Oto-nin nodded slightly. "Just ask him about snakebite cures—he officially studies medicine—and he'll know that you are to be assisted."

"Excellent," Kasshoku smirked a bit wider. "Convey my deep gratitude to your leader for his generosity. I shall do my best to play my part in return."

The Oto-nin smiled briefly and left the table before a server could notice him and ask him if he wished to make an order.

"It was nice meeting with you. Enjoy your sandwich."

"I will," Kasshoku replied, "and it was nice meeting you, too."

_This is perfect,_ the Uzu-nin laughed in his own mind as he took another bite of his lunch. _This is much better than I had hoped for. Ruining this village will be almost too easy…_

_

* * *

_

Sakura sniffled as she vainly fussed over Sasuke's prone form. She'd been able to drag him into a cavern formed by the massive roots and half-hollowed interior of one of the Forest of Death's over-sized trees. Sasuke was heavy, though, so she hadn't been able to go far from the eerie, mostly buried, giant Kitsune skeleton.

_It's so creepy here,_ she thought as she rubbed at her arms. _It's not cold, but I still have goose-bumps. Sasuke-kun, please get better soon!_

The Uchiha boy had been unconscious since the fight yesterday and showed no signs of waking soon. His skin was like fire when she touched it. His breathing went through cycles of being deep and slow to being short and shallow. She couldn't decide if he was trying to wake sometimes, or just suffering nightmares.

_Oh please wake up Sasuke-kun!_ She rubbed furiously at her green eyes, trying to drive away the tears that threatened to obscure her vision. _Don't leave me alone!_

So far, in her short career, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, or even Naruto had always been around to protect her. She'd never had to do anything completely on her own before. There had always been someone else nearby that would help, someone stronger.

A sound—something rustling—made her flinch. Her eyes darted towards the opening of the little chamber, seeking the cause. She'd laid a few simple traps as protection for their hidden campsite, but would it be enough? Had some other team avoided the tripwires and explosive tags and—

A little brown squirrel bounded through the clearing just beyond the chamber mouth, paused briefly to groom its whiskers, and then darted out of sight, rustling some weeds as it vanished.

_A squirrel!_ Sakura sighed and almost collapsed as the tension left her muscles. _It was just a squirrel…_

She wanted to cry again. What if Sasuke didn't get better? What if Naruto wasn't able to find them? How was she going to last four more days out here, alone?

...What if Sasuke _died_?

That fear broke her down for a moment, and she sobbed quietly.

If he died, how could she get to be his friend? If he died, how could she get acknowledgement from him? If he died, how could she become worthy of more than his sneer and his whisper of "annoying"?

_I can't cry._ She rubbed at her watering eyes so hard that spots started dancing in them. _I'm the only one here; I can't cry. I have to—_

_ Hold it together, shannaro!_

Sakura choked back any more sobs and shook her head vigorously.

Inner-Sakura straddled the line between being an imaginary friend and a voice in her head. The mental construct reflected her rawest desires and was tough and strong in all the ways that the real Sakura wasn't. The real girl sometimes wished that she could be more like her "Inner", but Inner-Sakura was just too brash and crude and no one—least of all Sasuke—would want to be around a girl like that, so it remained an unrealized fantasy.

_Hold down the fort until that orange-wearing baka comes back!_ Inner-Sakura ranted. _And while you're waiting…nurse Sasuke-kun so that he'll fall in love with us and—_

Sakura pinched herself and locked Inner-Sakura back in the little mental box where the crazy girl spent most of her time.

She needed to focus. She needed to take care of Sasuke to the best of her ability until he was well, or until time ran out and the proctors came to find them. She had to keep things together until Naruto found his way back…

Because, even though Naruto was a hopeless dork, there was no way that that giant snake had managed to devour him…right?

Right?

* * *

The first thing that Naruto had done after escaping from the giant snake had been to get rid of the tail that he'd unconsciously sprouted in his haste to change enough to generate the blue fire. If any of the other genin in the test saw that, he'd be in a lot of trouble. He'd almost brought his appearance back to full human, but he'd hesitated and then decided to stay minimally shifted. So long as he kept his distance from other teams until he found Sasuke and Sakura again, no one would notice his fangs or demon eyes or claws, and he would be able to use the blue fire.

For the rest of the afternoon Naruto had tried to find the rest of his team. With all the crazy fleeing that he'd done from the snake, he was thoroughly lost. He tried to follow the trail of the snake, but then he'd get to close to some other team or some super-sized animal would come after him. In trying to avoid detection or being eaten, he'd lose the trail and get even more lost. And then it had gotten so dark after the sun had set that he ended up finding a hollow chamber half-way up one of the giant trees and sleeping in it until morning.

Now he was really, really hungry, and still really, really lost. The blond boy groaned as he perched on a tree branch and glanced around, wary for friend or foe. His empty stomach groaned back at him and Naruto wilted a little bit more.

_I really hate this trial…_

The breeze shifted and a hint of flowery scent made Naruto's nose twitch. With how lost he already was, it didn't seem all that risky to investigate it. So he slunk along the branch, carefully sniffing and making sure to stick to leafy areas to hide his orange, eye-catching clothes from sight.

It took a few leaps to other trees, but he found the source of the scent. It was perfume. Some silly kunoichi was wearing perfume. She was a few years older, carefully made-up despite being out in the Forest of Death, and foreign—a Taki-nin if he was identifying the symbol on her hitai-ate right.

_What a crazy girl,_ Naruto frowned from his camouflaged vantage point up in the trees. _Perfume gives you away. It smells so much stronger than plain old flowers… Even dumb demons could tell the difference, I bet._

"Hisa!" one of the kunoichi's male teammates whined. "Stop spraying that stuff! What if some dangerous animal catches wind of it?"

"I refuse to smell like a heathen!" the brunette retorted, but put away her little perfume bottle. "What if I come across a cute boy while we're in here?"

"Is that all you think about?" Her second teammate groaned.

"I can't believe you!" the first groused.

"Stop complaining," Hisa grumbled as she fidgeted with her hair, trying to brush it with her fingers. "There's nothing wrong with looking good or smelling good. And we're almost done, anyway. We just have to find a team with a black box so that we can swap it out for our extra white box and get back to civilization…and hot showers."

"Girls!" the first boy muttered, disgusted.

"You have ten minutes," the second boy decided. "Then we have to get moving again.

"Okay, Taro!" the girl chirped and started filing one of her nails.

Naruto sort of felt bad for the two Taki shinobi. Their female teammate seemed pretty useless. Sakura would never stop to spray on perfume and file her nails in the middle of dangerous territory. She wouldn't use make-up, period; she didn't need any.

And then a little song bird fluttered on to the scene. The kunoichi took one look at it and stopped filing her nails to squeal in delight. She immediately pulled out a dry rice cake and offered crumbled pieces to the small bird in hopes of coaxing it closer.

"Hey, stop wasting your rations!" the first boy hissed.

"They're my rations, I can do what I want with them," Hisa retorted. "Don't you worry, I won't be asking for any of yours."

"You'd better not," Taro grunted.

Naruto stared as the girl used the rice cake to feed the bird. Even though it was just a bland little rice cake, he drooled a bit. He was so hungry…

And then he got an idea.

It was probably a really stupid idea. But neither Sakura nor Sasuke was around to talk him out of it. So he went for it.

_Gotta hurry, I've got less than ten minutes before they leave!_

_

* * *

_

Hisa pouted when a sudden sound startled the bird away. She loved little feathery or furry animals almost as much as she loved shopping and flirting with handsome boys. If only the tiny bird had stayed longer…

Even though she was a genin of Takigakure no Sato and working towards being a chuunin, she despised being a ninja. She'd never had any desire to hunt and slay demons or take down criminals. But it was an important family tradition and regrettably she'd been born with strong chakra potential so she'd become a kunoichi.

_Once I become a chuunin, mom and dad will ease up,_ she thought as she nibbled on part of her rice cake. _Then I can apply to be a teacher, or part of village security, so that I don't have to go out in the field where there aren't any showers or soft beds… Then everybody should be happy, so I'll be free to do more of what __**I **__want._

And then another animal peered around a tree trunk at her. At first, all she saw was its head. It was mostly yellow, with white fur on its chin and throat, black triangular ears, black stripes on its cheeks, and it had bright blue eyes.

_A dog?_ was her first thought.

Then it cautiously crept into full view, revealing its body. Its paws and part of its forelegs were black, with white on its belly and yellow on its back. It had a bushy yellow tail with a white tip that twitched nervously as it sniffed loudly at the air.

_A fox!_

It was the largest and most striking fox that she'd ever seen. Hisa swallowed a squeal so that she wouldn't scare it away and broke off another chunk of rice cake. She wanted the adorable creature to come closer.

"Hello there," she cooed and held out the rice cake bit towards the animal. "You're so cute! Why don't you come closer?"

The large yellow fox sniffed the air more and licked its jaws at the sight of her rice cake. It hesitated a few moments more before slinking closer. The animal paused an inch shy of the morsel of food, and then licked it from her fingertips, retreating a few steps as it chomped on the crunchy fragment.

"That's it! That's a good boy!" Hisa smiled and offered another little piece. "Come a little closer now, a little closer…"

After a few more rice cake crumbs, she had the yellow fox almost in her lap. Up close, she could see that the fur along its spine was several shades darker than the rest, and it almost looked like a pale orange. And, while she distracted it with the rest of the rice cake, she found that its fur was just as fluffy and soft as it had looked for a distance.

"Hisa!" Taro hissed. "Should you be petting that thing? What if it has rabies or something?"

"If it had rabies, it would've tried to bite me already," Hisa scoffed. "You're a nice, good boy, aren't you?" she cooed to the dog-sized fox as she rubbed it behind its large ears.

"Time's running out," Shin warned her, tapping his wrist watch. "Three minutes before we move on."

"Darn," Hisa huffed and shifted her position to keep the foot that she was sitting on from falling asleep. "Maybe you could come with us, Foxy! You're much nicer company than these two jerks."

"No, it can't," Shin grunted.

Hisa stuck her tongue out at the two boys as she scratched the fox under its chin.

"Don't listen to them," she pouted. "Maybe…maybe you could help us, Foxy!" Hisa pulled the box with the white circle painted on it from her light pack and showed it to the furry creature. "You see this? We're looking for a team that has one just like this, except the dot is black. We thought we found a team that had one yesterday evening, but after we kicked their butts it turned out that they had another white one. We took it anyway, though." She sighed. "If only we could be done with two white boxes…"

"Quit talking to that thing," Taro complained. "And put that box away."

"Why do you guys have to be so bossy?" Hisa whined.

"Because—"

"Surrender your box, or else!"

Hisa flinched at the loud shout and she and her teammates immediately looked up. A younger Konoha genin was perched up in the branches, glaring down at them with a kunai in his hand. The boy had bright blond hair…and bright orange clothes.

_…Is he for real?_

"Make us, loser!" Taro sneered and flung a trio of shuriken at the little moron.

The Konoha boy ducked the sharp spinning projectiles and then made a suicidal leap down at them.

"Your box is mine!"

Taro, who had their original white box immediately pulled back to protect it. Hisa also lurched away from the attack to protect their spare box and started weaving a genjutsu to hit the kid with if he somehow survived Shin. And Shin jumped at their younger (and clearly stupider) attacker with a long combat knife in each hand.

The Konoha brat really didn't stand a chance. Shin caught him in midair where the kid couldn't significantly change his trajectory and sliced the little idiot along one leg and one arm. The blond dork gasped—

_POOF!_

The kid vanished in a cloud of white smoke.

"_Kawarimi_?" Shin wondered, although no rock or fallen log appeared to replace him.

Hisa and her teammates immediately shifted into a defensive formation with their backs to each other, both as mutual protection and as a way to watch for potential attacks from the dork in orange. Several tense minutes went by without any other sound but their tense breaths and pounding hearts. In the brief burst of chaos the fox creature had been scared off, and that made Hisa sad, but completing the Trials and achieving chuunin was more important.

"…Does anybody see him?" Taro almost whispered.

"No," Hisa muttered.

"I don't either," Shin answered. "…It doesn't seem like he's going to come back."

"Heh, maybe he grew a brain and realized that he can't stand up to the three of us, eh?" Taro snickered.

"Whatever, let's just get going," Shin said. "We need to move on anyway."

"Right," Taro agreed and shoved his knives into their sheathes.

Hisa sighed and checked over her things to make sure she hadn't put anything down—

_Where's the box?_ Her eyes widened and she frantically searched the ground where she'd been sitting. _I must've dropped it when that doofus showed up, but…where is it? Boxes don't just get up and walk away!_

"Hisa, what's wrong now?" Taro asked.

"The-the spare box," she gulped. "I can't find it."

"What?" Taro squawked.

"Where did you drop it?" Shin demanded.

She pointed out the area and when all three of them failed to locate it, Shin suggested that she check her pack and weapons' pouch. The box wasn't in either bag. And worse, she found that her entire stash of rice cakes was missing, too.

"It must've been that Konoha genin," Shin decided after some thought. "That's why he didn't come back; he got what he needed."

"Damn it!" Hisa sniffled angrily, trying not to cry. "How did that orange idiot rob me?"

* * *

Naruto darted through the undergrowth, pausing only to snatch up his clothes from the spot that he'd stashed them. It was really awkward to run with his arms full of clothing and his stolen loot, and he tripped over his tail a few times, but the Taki-nin hadn't caught on and no one chased him down. When he spied a good-looking clump of bushes several minutes away from the Waterfall genin, he dove into them to revert to his human form and put his clothes back on.

"I am a genius!" he cackled softly to himself as he shrugged his coat back on while chewing on a crunchy stolen rice cake. "An evil genius!"

_Rice cake never tasted so good!_

It had been so easy! All he'd had to do was make a _kage bunshin_, get all furry, take advantage of the kunoichi's love of critters, and then steal the box and rice cakes when his _bunshin_ created a distraction. He couldn't wait to brag about his exploits to Sasuke and Sakura…

_…I can't tell the truth, though_, he thought with a frown. _So…so I say that I made two __**kage bunshin**__ and had one transform into an animal while the other was the distraction. Yeah! I'll say it was a squirrel…no, that's too small. Oh, a monkey! I'll say it was a monkey! Yeah!_

"That's it!" Naruto giggled and shoved the box and handkerchief bundle of rice cakes inside his coat and zipping it up. "Sakura-chan will be so impressed, and that bastard will be so jealous!"

Immensely pleased with himself, Naruto stuck his head out of the bushes and looked around…and frowned.

_Damn it, I'm still lost!_


	19. The Gardener

**Chapter 18**

_The Gardener_

The Hokage sipped at his morning tea as he sat at his desk and carefully considered the note that the small demon toad had just delivered to him from Jiraiya. Normally, Jiraiya only sent reports to him once at week at most, but in the past forty-eight hours his former student had written him three times. The only thing that had startled the old man more than the unusual frequency of his former student's contacts was the information that the notes brought to him.

The first message informed the Hokage that Jiraiya would be secretly entering Uzushiogakure no Sato and that some answers should be uncovered shortly. The second had been a hurried scrawl: _Kitsune infestation suspected, am seeking out Kushina to confirm._ And the third note had detailed his confrontation with Uzumaki Kushina, the aftermath, and informed the Hokage that he had been smuggled back out of the fox-infested village and would be meeting with the old gardener woman in the afternoon.

_…At least Naruto is explained now,_ the old man thought as he swirled the steaming tea in his cup. _The boy is a hanyou __**and**__ a werewolf, a rare combination indeed…probably even unique. There is no doubt that he is Minato's son._

Now the question was what to do with this information. He would tell Minato, and eventually Naruto, of course. But when would be the best time…

The messenger toad croaked, distracting the Hokage from his line of thought.

"My apologies," the Hokage told the small demon amphibian, and then pulled out a piece of paper. "It'll only be a moment more…"

He hurriedly penned some instructions to Jiraiya to gather all the information that he could on the foxes of Uzushiogakure, their relationship with Oto, their role in the mysterious disappearances of Uzu civilians, and to find out all that he could on Biyokuchi Kasshoku in particular. He handed the note to the messenger toad, and the creature saluted him before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Within moments, the toad would return to Jiraiya and pass on the Hokage's orders.

The old man sighed and returned to sipping at his tea.

There was a great deal more to consider now. Trying to manage the conflict between his two werewolves on top of running the Trials was the most immediate set of issues. But he couldn't ignore this revelation of the true nature of Konoha's oldest ally.

_It brings the entire alliance between Leaf and Whirlpool into question,_ the old man thought. _It is to the Kitsune's advantage to have a strong village like Konoha to protect them in times of war and strife. And as the Shodai's wife was one of them their choice in allies was simple._

But Uzumaki Mito was said to have played a pivotal role in halting the Kyuubi no Yoko's advance on the young Leaf Village, allowing Hashirama and Madara to slay the massive beast. That called into question the long-held belief that the Kyuubi had been the living god of the Kitsune race—that all Kitsune followed that monster's lead without question. It didn't seem likely that only one Kitsune would turn away from the Kyuubi; if one could stand against him then logically there would have been others.

_I suppose that it could be possible that the whole war against the Kyuubi could've been part of a larger, longer-running conspiracy…_ The Hokage drained his teacup and shook his head. _Although, even considering the lengthy lifespans Kitsune possess, it's ridiculous. They lost too many in the Great Hunt to make any such plot worth the immense cost._

Still, it was very hard to put much confidence in a shape-shifter. A being that could change form from beast to man (or, at least something that appeared to be a man) and back again on a whim didn't seem trustworthy. And worse, Kitsune were reputed illusionists, which only doubled their potential for deception.

_…I will have to debate this with my wife._

_

* * *

_

Jiraiya lounged in the Hidden Lotus Teahouse and waited for the old gardener fox to come meet him as she had promised. The establishment wasn't the sort of teahouse he frequented—the kind with very friendly women—but a casual restaurant with a wide variety of teas, fruit drinks, coffees, and alcoholic beverages on the menu. So Jiraiya was left rather bored as he nursed a cup of green tea with ginseng and waited.

_I hope that this isn't a mistake,_ he thought glumly.

After giving Kushina the photograph the previous evening, he'd ending up giving a synopsis of Naruto's many, many stops between Uzu and Konoha. When the red-head had heard how badly her attempt at getting Naruto to a happy home had backfired, the fox-woman had been devastated. The old gardener had ended their meeting there. She took Kushina out of the greenhouse and presumably back to her quarters and then smuggled the tiny demon toad (with Jiraiya hiding inside of it) out of the fox village with the promise to meet the next afternoon…

A server girl—a cute black-haired civilian—timidly tapped his shoulder. "Sir…are you Jiraiya of _Hi no Kuni_?"

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded politely, and wished that he wasn't about to have an important meeting so that he could try flirting with the girl.

"Oh!" the girl fussed, looking horrified. "I'm so sorry! We were supposed to take you to the Dragon Room!" The young server bowed deeply to him. "P-please follow me!"

"Alright," the white-haired man agreed easily and left his lukewarm tea behind as he strolled after the mortified waitress.

The Dragon Room sounded grand, but it really wasn't. The room wasn't terribly well lit and sparsely decorated with a few plain wall hangings of stylized dragons. The only furniture was a large low table in the middle of the room and a selection of badly worn cushions to kneel or sit upon.

"Please make yourself comfortable, sir," the waitress murmured, waving him towards the table. "Refreshments will be brought shortly."

Jiraiya gave the girl a polite nod and when he was alone he scoped out the room before selecting a spot at the table to sit down. There were very old seals that blocked sound, prevented genjutsu, and kept out intruders imprinted deep into all the walls, the floor, and probably the ceiling as well. He'd also noticed a hidden door tucked away behind one of the wall hangings. The place was very secure and ideal for clandestine meetings.

"I hope you didn't have to wait long," the gardener lady said as she entered the room with the nervous waitress and a more senior server.

"No, not really," Jiraiya said neutrally.

The two waitresses took their orders. The old woman requested Oolong tea, chicken dumplings, and rice. Jiraiya asked for more of the green tea that he'd had before and a bowl of ramen soup.

"So, how is Kushina?" the Sannin asked when the servers left the room.

"Very upset," the gardener sighed, shaking her head. "I hope that I can bring her happier news about her son from this meeting."

"I have several questions I'd like answered first."

"Of course," the fox-woman agreed. "Naruto-kun will come last."

She then made small talk with him while they waited for the food. She asked him how he was tolerating the cool, rainy climate, and what he thought of the people of Uzu. He gave short but polite answers.

Within twenty minutes, the waitresses returned to deliver their orders.

"If you need anything further, please pull the cord by the door," the senior server told them, gesturing to a black and gold rope hanging near the wall. "We hope that you enjoy your meals."

And with deep bows, both women were gone.

The old woman briefly flashed her hands through some seals and then the seals in the room glowed as they were activated. With that done, she relaxed her transformation. Her pupils slit vertically, her canines lengthened to fangs (proving she had no dentures), her ears pointed, her fingernails became claws, and a single copper-colored fox tail (an odd contrast to her silvery hair) slipped loose from the folds of her robe-like yukata.

"You're very comfortable here," Jiraiya noted, as this teahouse was located miles outside of her village.

"The Hidden Lotus is owned by Clan Uzumaki, and the Dragon Room is reserved exclusively for our use," the gardener replied as she delicately used her chopsticks to nibble at her food. "Unless the rope is used to summon the waitresses, we will not be disturbed. And now we may discuss your questions freely."

Jiraiya nodded, and then hesitated as a thought struck him. "You're Kushina's grandmother? I don't believe that I caught your name…"

"I'm not her grandmother," the gardener replied. "We're only distantly related. And my name is Mito. Now, you were asking about a possible alliance with Oto and civilian disappearances last night?"

At his confirmation, she continued speaking.

"In recent years, Clan Uzumaki has lost a great deal of prestige and respect. We no longer have much say in what the village of Uzushiogakure no Sato does and we cannot claim to know all of what the other nine clans do. Clan Uzumaki has no knowledge of any dealings with Otogakure no Sato, nor does Clan Uzumaki support any such alliance. From what I understand, the most likely culprit would be Clan Kurohi.

"The Kurohi have taken advantage of Clan Uzumaki's current disgrace and now more or less hold sway over all of the other clans with few exceptions. They have a shady reputation with recent rumors hinting that they've been allying with Tengu and Tsuchigumo, and have been rather isolationist until recently. The only item on their agenda that I know of that hasn't been accomplished is the dissolution of the alliance between Uzushio and Konoha—the other clans simply don't feel secure enough to let go of the Leaf's protection to go through with that.

"As for Shadows abducting Uzu civilians, I have not heard anything about this. I plan to inform the clan head, Kenjiro-sama, this evening. But, if it is happening, it is most likely Clan Kurohi's doing, and is not in any way supported by Clan Uzumaki."

"So, Clan Kurohi are the bad guys, eh?" Jiraiya drawled after taking a sip of his soup broth.

"You haven't met any of them yet," Mito replied with a faint smirk. "They are bitter and vengeful and made up of the fragments of dozens of clans so decimated they could not continue on as separate entities. Not all are bad, but the worst of them are in clan leadership, and they hold all humans in contempt."

The toad sage sipped at his tea thoughtfully before bringing up one of the subjects that the Hokage had been particularly interested in.

"What about the Biyokuchi? An Uzu jounin named Biyokuchi Kasshoku recently arrived in Konoha as part of the alliance."

"Really?" Mito blinked, very surprised. "Normally there is a lot of gossip centered around the appointment of a liaison to Konoha, and all clans must agree on who is sent. There has been no gossip, and Clan Uzumaki has not approved of any Uzushio jounin to go to Konoha. This Kasshoku should not be there."

"From my understanding, he has all of the right paperwork," Jiraiya shrugged.

"Clan Uzumaki's signature seal has been forged, then," the fox-woman said firmly. "We did not approve him. Please inform the current Hokage that he does not in any way represent Clan Uzumaki."

"I will," he agreed. "And the general character of Clan Biyokuchi?"

"Unpleasant and sad," Mito told him. "With the current state of the Kitsune species, there is tremendous pressure to produce children and restore the population to a healthy number. So, to please their families, the vast majority of young Kitsune participate in arranged marriages with partners chosen for social and political advantages, and as a way of preserving—even increasing—the diversity in bloodlines. I honestly can't remember the last wedding that I attended where the bride and groom were marrying out of love or even affection. Clan Biyokuchi is one of the most fertile clans, but…they have the reputation of producing the worst spouses.

"The husbands are cold and even cruel, and the wives tend to be bitter and catty. Some wonder why Clan Biyokuchi hasn't collapsed yet simply from all the fights that go on in the families that live in the Biyokuchi District. They also hold the record for most domestic murders—there have been at least twenty separate incidents since the founding of the village.

"Kushina's oldest brother is married to a Biyokuchi woman, and everyone who has the misfortune to meet her agrees that she is very unpleasant. She was bitter and snappish from the very first day, but when Naruto-kun's lycanthropy was uncovered, she turned into a harpy. Simply being married to an Uzumaki became a mortal insult to her and she made sure that everyone around her knew exactly how she felt. She singled Kushina out in particular, as the mother of 'the abomination', and the verbal spars they had could be heard all over the neighborhood."

Mito shook her head wearily and sipped at her tea.

"I try to give everyone a fair chance, but I must say that I hate that woman and I pity poor Kenshin for being married to her."

"Wow." Jiraiya blinked and finished off his bowl of soup. "Is it all really that bad?"

"The whole of Uzushiogakure is a sad place," Mito told him. "It was founded out of fear and necessity. Many who live in it see it as a prison, and live in fear of discovery. And with our long lives, being so afraid for so long becomes toxic. We see all the same faces and deal with all the same people and soon we snap at each other, spread vile rumors, and make each other utterly miserable for no real reason at all.

"It's a big reason why I got into gardening. Plants respond to all the love and attention that you give them and will never stab you in the back. And my husband had a way with plants. Tending to the flowers and the trees reminds me of him…"

The bun-haired gardener grew a bit misty-eyed and her gaze grew distant. Jiraiya waited for her to snap back to the present, but after over ten minutes of her spacing out he ended up snapping his fingers in front of her face to wake her up. The old fox-woman smiled wryly in apology.

"That is one of the drawbacks to living for so long. When you outlive all of the important humans in your life, you spend most of your time living in the past with ghosts. I lose track of the present all the time so please don't hesitate to remind me that you're there."

"I will," Jiraiya promised, letting a bit of mischief creep into his polite smile.

"Good," Mito responded with a pleased glitter in her gray eyes. "Now, was there anything else you wanted to know, or can we start talking about Naruto-kun?"

* * *

Kushina sat hunched between her bed and her nightstand in her darkened room and fingered her precious stash of photographs. The oldest were of Minato, and she had only three; she regretted horribly never showing them enough to Naruto when he'd still been with her. Most of the rest were of young Naruto with his chubby whiskered face that was so much cuter than her own early human face (she was not a tomato!). And there was her newest picture: the photograph that Jiraiya had given her of twelve-year-old genin-Naruto.

_He's gotten so much bigger… He's so much older now… I wonder if I could recognize his voice if I heard it…_

Her stormy gray-blue eyes grew glassy with tears. She cried so much now that her younger self would be ashamed if she could peer into the future and see this. But right now she was too tormented to care.

_"So Naruto is in Konoha now? How is that possible? Father made sure that he would go to some civilian family in the Land of Fire…"_

_ "Oh, I'm sure that he did initially. And then he was shifted to another, and then another, and then another. He probably was in thirty different homes a year until he came to Konoha. It was only chance that he found his way into the Leaf."_

She sniffled and rubbed at her watering eyes.

_I just wanted him to be safe and happy…_

"He must hate me now…for abandoning him."

"No, he doesn't hate you."

Kushina blinked and slowly looked up to find the old gardener kneeling in front of her.

"Oh, can I see these pictures?" the old woman asked, noticing the stack of photos clutched in Kushina's hands.

"How do you know that?" the red-haired woman sniffed and reluctantly relinquished the pictures.

"Jiraiya told me so," the gardener replied. "He said that Naruto-kun's drive to become a demon-hunter was so that he could become strong enough to one day come and rescue you from us."

"Rescue me?" Kushina choked on a wavering laugh. "Aw, that's so sweet…"

"Mm-hm…" The old woman flipped through the photos before stopping on one. "Oh, is this his father?"

The picture was of Minato shortly after he'd returned from his last training trip with Jiraiya when he'd gone to Myouboku Mountain to study with the demon toads. He was days away from being made a jounin (although he hadn't known that then) and torn between being embarrassed and pleased at having his picture taken. The blond young man sported his white, flame-trimmed coat that he'd earned for mastering the toads' training and he looked so handsome in it…

"Yes, that's Minato," she nodded with a feeble smile. "I loved him in that coat." _Damn, he was sexy when he wore it!_

"That is a very nice coat," the older Kitsune agreed. "Is it a reference to the Will of Fire?"

"Yeah…I suppose it is," Kushina muttered. "I always thought of it more as a sign that he'd get to be the next Hokage."

"It could be that, too," the old gardener murmured.

"I kept the coat," the younger Kitsune said and stiffly got up to rummage through her closet. "Sometimes I wear it and pretend that he's still with me…" She found the coat, well-worn but carefully mended and cleaned so that it looked almost new. "I…had hoped that when Naruto grew up, he'd wear it one day."

"…I'm not sure that he'd want to," the old woman sighed.

"What?" Kushina frowned. "Why not?"

"While Jiraiya said that Naruto-kun still adores you, Kushina-chan, he lays all the blame for his situation on his father," the grandmotherly gardener answered. "Naruto-kun despises your Minato."

A chill slowly settled over Kushina at this news.

Naruto had never seemed particularly interested in his father in the short time that they'd lived together, and at the time she'd been grateful for that. Just thinking of Minato had been painful then (and still was now), and she'd had so much else to worry about at the time. But Naruto's lack of education about his father had left him only with the unsavory ideas that her family had about the reluctant werewolf.

_I need to fix this…_

She wanted to pack her things and set right out for Konoha so that she could find Naruto and teach him all the things that she should've told him from the day that he'd been born (it had to be done in person, a letter or a message just wouldn't do). But she couldn't leave the country. It would violate the deal. The tracking seal that had been imprinted on her shoulder would let her father and the clan elders know the moment she boarded a ferry for the mainland.

_…But how?_

_

* * *

_

The Shadows of Uzugakure no Sato were often compared to Konoha's ANBU, but Kenshin had never been to Konoha and had no experience with their ANBU so that he couldn't agree or disagree with the comparison. He really didn't care for Konoha one way or the other. He wasn't really happy with the mess his baby sister had gotten herself into in that foreign village, but he had more immediate problems of his own.

Each of the ten clans of Uzu sent their best fighters into the secretive elite security force of the Shadows. When a shinobi became a Shadow, they weren't supposed to care about the petty differences between the clans and focus only on providing security and strength to the village as a whole. Shadows took their orders from the Council of Clans and the organizations leader: the Kurokage (a position wholly unrelated to the 'Kages of the five great villages).

Kenshin, as the oldest son of the head of Clan Uzumaki, and as a talented shinobi, had been a Shadow for several years now. His father had never asked him to bend or break the rules of the Shadows. But now…

_"A most disturbing rumor has come to my attention. Someone has seen Shadows abducting humans and ferrying them to the northern islet from where they never return. Find out the truth without your fellows' knowledge and inform me at once on what you find."_

He'd balked at that, initially. It wasn't Clan Uzumaki's business to investigate the Shadows, and it certainly wasn't right to keep the investigation secret. However, his father had persuaded him to go along with it.

_"The rumors of Clan Kurohi's misbehavior are no longer just rumors. The Hokage himself has written us a letter asking for an explanation as to why our ninja are meeting with Oto ninja. There is now a representative of our village in Konoha, a Biyokuchi that our clan does not know of or has approved of. Only Clan Kurohi has the pull to treat with other villages and send emissaries to Konoha without us knowing a thing. …And the recent Kurokage…he's a Kurohi, isn't he?"_

Kenshin grimaced behind his black ceramic mask as the boat he rode in bobbed with the waves. Well, it was Ryoga's mask, actually. To investigate secretly, he'd swapped places with another Shadow from a clan not strongly aligned with the Uzumaki. Ryoga was skilled but a naïve soul, and he'd been eager to give up his shift for Kenshin's duties. So, as not to get caught, they'd swapped masks and even gone so far as to transform into each other's human forms (a tricky thing to do without extensive practice).

_Ryoga really needs to eat less garlic, this mask reeks_.

Up ahead the rocky, cave-riddled little island loomed through the gray, early morning mist. Only seabirds lived on the island, but the network of caves inside of it was home to the biggest Shadow outpost in all of _Uzu no Kuni_. Kenshin had been there before, but not in several years, so he had no idea what might be going on there now.

_"It shouldn't be too hard for you to impersonate me,"_ Ryoga had told him. _"No one talks much on the job there. It's too creepy. Just do whatever the commander says and remember that you're supposed to be me. Oh, and don't talk about what you see there with anyone, not even other Shadows. Only the Kurokage has the authority to talk about this project, 'kay?"_

The barrier around the island was definitely new. It was hard to hold his tongue and not ask about it as two of the Shadows in the prow of the boat made a temporary opening in the shimmering violet field for them to pass through. He was supposed to be Ryoga and therefore wouldn't be confused by this addition to the islet's security.

The boat was steered straight into one of the cave openings, normally kept hidden by high tides. Beyond the cave mouth the cavern was lit with artificial lights and rigged up with wooden scaffolding and floating piers. Nothing looked much different as Kenshin debarked to get his instructions for the duty shift, but he still kept on his toes with his eyes wide open.

He was given several tunnels to patrol and a captain to obey and sent on his way. Kenshin knew the tunnels in question and so he went off to do his duty. But what he found on his route was a real smack in the face.

One cave contained werewolves. Unlike the ferocious snarling mad-beasts that he was used to encountering, they were docile, drooling, piles of fur. They wore seal-studded collars and manacles and he suspected that that was the reason for their bizarre behavior.

The next chamber he came to had a natural sky-light to the outside, and it contained Eagle Tengu. Unlike the common Crow Tengu, which could be bought with a steady stream of cheap, sparkly baubles, Eagle Tengu were fiercely independent and made no alliances with other species. They, too, wore collars and manacles and were just as unusually subdued as the werewolves.

And the third cavern he reached…that was the most shocking. It was filled with cages that held drugged humans. Most had the same collars and manacles as the werewolves and tengu, and they had wounds on their shoulders or the arms or legs or sides. There was a minority that was unscathed and collar- and manacle-free, and even through the haze of their sedatives which kept them from screaming they looked terrified.

As Kenshin slowly, stiffly passed through the chamber, which reeked of sweat and stale blood, he passed by a mask-less Shadow who was checking over the caged humans with a clipboard in his hands.

"I can't wait for the next full moon," the other Shadow muttered under his breath. "This batch will triple our stock of werewolves…"

_They're bite-breeding werewolves here,_ Kenshin thought with barely contained horror. _They're harvesting human civilians and deliberately infecting them. And the Eagle Tengu…_

_ What are they doing here? Building an army?_

That thought stilled his heart for a moment.

_…I need to inform father as soon as I return to the village._


	20. Fell Spirit

**Chapter 19**

_Fell Spirit_

Naruto glared at the gray pre-dawn light as he sulked up in the branches in one of the many humongous trees that formed the Forest of Death.

_How can I still be lost?_

After his masterful rice cake and white box theft from the Taki-nin, he'd spent hours and hours trying to avoid getting caught by other teams and find his way back to Sakura and Sasuke…without success.

_Is the Forest of Death really that big?_

The blond boy kept on staring in the direction where the sun would soon rise and picked at the bark of the branch he was sitting on with his claws. When the sun rose, it would be a full day and a half since he'd gotten separated from his teammates. He really didn't like that one bit.

A chilly wind brushed against his left side and he shuddered at the feeling. It came from the direction of the Kyuubi's bones. He didn't know how he knew that, but he knew that he was right. That nasty skeleton—

"Ah, that's it!"

The Kyuubi.

He had gotten separated from Sakura and Sasuke at the Kyuubi no Yoko's grave, so if he went back to that spot, he would have a much easier time tracking down where his teammates had gone to.

…Of course, going back to that spot meant experiencing that awful malevolent aura that choked the air again.

"…I can't keep avoiding that spot," he muttered to himself. "Sakura-chan and that bastard are probably still around there…"

What if that creep had hurt them after he'd been chased away from them by that snake? What if they'd been hurt bad? What if they—

_I'll find them!_ Naruto gritted his teeth and sprinted off in the one direction that he'd been avoiding like the plague. _I'm coming for you guys, just hang on!_

_

* * *

_

_Sasuke floated in blackness. He couldn't see or feel his body. Maybe he didn't have one anymore…_

_ He felt hot. He felt cold. He felt claws grasping and tearing at him…_

Sasuke stood at the edge of the pond where he had mastered his first Katon jutsu. He turned and found his family watching him, but as he approached them they faded into dust—first his father, then his mother, and then his brother. Horrified, he ran into the rest of the Uchiha District, but he couldn't find anyone. He fled towards the rest of Konoha, but he found that there was nothing but a gray void existed beyond the walls of his exclusive neighborhood. At the gateway between the Uchiha and Konoha, he found Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura waiting for him. But, like when he'd run to his family, they also faded into dust—first Kakashi, then Naruto, and then Sakura.

He screamed and he cried but no one heard him because he was alone—

_The Uchiha tried to swim in the darkness, seeking some sort of light. But he never moved, nor did he find any spark of light anywhere. There was only endless black…_

_ He tried to speak so that someone would find him and help him. But his mouth didn't move, nor was he able to make a single sound. There was only absolute silence…_

He ran through the dark streets of the village by the light of the full moon. He's stayed late at the Academy to obsessively practice his kunai-throwing and lost all track of time and now he was super-late for dinner. But, as he was running, he realized that he really wasn't getting anywhere—he kept circling the same few blocks and never reached the gateway to his clan's domain. And then snakes burst out of the street and bound his body with their scaly coils. While he struggled against them and sobbed with fear, a shadowy form of a man materialized out of the dark and sauntered around behind him and ran his tongue along Sasuke's cheek.

"I'll give you power, Sasuke-kun. Just hold still for one minute…"

_Sasuke tried to activate his Sharingan so that his sight could pierce the gloom, but all he felt was weakness. He felt blind. What good was an Uchiha without his eyes?_

_ He idly imagined a Tengu had pecked his eyes out and that was why he couldn't see… But that made no sense. …Right?_

Sasuke stood outside of an apartment building (Naruto's) and waited for something. A spot on his neck suddenly hurt like he'd been stabbed there with a burning kunai and he crumpled to the sidewalk. As he gasped and cried out in agony, a black rash slowly spread over his skin, the pattern wavering before his eyes like it was made of constantly moving bugs. A shadow fell over him and he weakly peered up to see the woman from the photograph—Naruto's foreign mother. She was smiling at him just like in the picture, but she reached down and started to strangle him. When she spoke, her voice was an utterly bizarre fusion of Naruto's angry shout, and his own mother, Mikoto's, gentle but disappointed tone.

"You've betrayed my son! How dare you?"

_ Sasuke felt like he was bound. The chains were ropes…the ropes were scaly and hissed like snakes. Invisible eyes watched him from all sides, judging him, sneering at him, mocking him…_

_ The air was fetid and disgusting. He smelled smoke and rotten flesh and stale blood. It felt like a monster was breathing on him…or in him…_

He watched as a massive orange-furred, vaguely canine beast with a number of lashing bushy tails barreled though low-growing shrubs (trees?) while patches of its body burned with black flames. Its headlong gallop suddenly came to a halt when a web of silver-white threads (chains?) exploded from the greenery and ensnared it, pulling it to the ground with an explosion of dust. The monster roared and howled and bellowed in mad fury, but no matter how it struggled the threads/chains held strong.

It snarled a curse—a name—

* * *

Sakura snapped awake with a start. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. One moment she'd been sitting vigil and standing guard simultaneously, and the next she found herself laying on the dirt beside Sasuke as the early morning sunlight was slowly lightening the gloom outside of their hiding place.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

While she'd been inattentive for at least several hours an opposing team or some super-sized wildlife could've come across them and harmed them. Other genin would've probably just robbed them of their black box (which a panicky checked revealed to be still in her possession), but if had been an animal…they could've been eaten in their sleep. Either way, they would've failed.

_I can't fall asleep like that again… Sasuke-kun's life depends on me right now. I can't fail!_

_ We are woman, hear us roar!_ Inner-Sakura agreed.

The pink-haired girl stiffly got up after hiding the box under Sasuke's arm and cautiously edged out of the tree cave to have a quick peek around and refill her small water canteen. She relaxed slightly when she found that none of her basic traps that protected their campsite had been touched, proving that nothing had been around during her unplanned nap. Perhaps that Orochimaru person hadn't been making it up when he'd said that genin rarely approached the demon grave because of the strong negative aura it gave off.

_It's creepy, but if it keeps other teams away…good._

After winding around a few giant trees, she warily crept up to a tiny stream. Glancing in all directions, she crouched down and started filling her small canteen with water. Long strands of pink hair slipped into her eyes and she brushed them away, annoyed.

_I hate my hair! If only Sasuke-kun didn't have a thing for long hair…_

Or, at least that's what the popular _rumor_ said that he liked. Around the same time that all the girls in the Academy decided that Uchiha Sasuke was the hottest, most desirable boy in their year, it was whispered that he preferred girls with long hair. So all the girls started growing out their hair, Ino and Sakura herself included.

_Just a rumor…_ She nibbled at her lip as she screwed the cap back on her canteen. _It certainly hasn't caught Sasuke-kun's interest. Maybe…I should cut it—_

"Hello there…"

Sakura froze, and then jerked her head up to stare in horror.

Across the tiny, shallow stream, perched up in some low tree branches were three foreign genin. They were dressed in shades of pale gray and violet-hued camouflage with musical notes etched into their hitai-ate. The team kunoichi had ridiculously long black hair and a bored sneer on her face. One of the boys had spiky black hair and a cruel smirk, and the other was so thoroughly wrapped up in bandages that only one eye was visible.

"What's a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself?" the spiky-haired boy chuckled darkly.

Sakura didn't answer them, frozen in horror and indecision.

_What should I do? …What __**can**__ I do?_

"Why don't we help you?" the mummy-like boy offered.

"Hand over your box," the long-haired kunoichi demanded haughtily, "and we'll help you find your teammates. Hopefully they won't be as pathetic as you."

"Yeah, we could use a decent fight!" the spiky-haired boy grinned.

Sakura trembled for a moment, and then set down her canteen and drew a kunai.

_I can't let them hurt Sasuke-kun!_

_ Shanaro!_

_

* * *

_

Naruto fought the increasing urge to scratch all over in response to the endless creepy-crawly feelings that slithered over his skin as he approached the giant demon grave. With every passing minute he got closer to the evil skeleton. Even the rising sun, which lightened even the gloomy Forest of Death some, didn't do anything to fight the dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.

_Sakura-chan and the bastard had better be okay so that we can pass this test!_ the boy grumbled to himself. _I want to make chuunin so I never have to come back to this place ever again!_

The closer he got, the slower his pace became. It was like the air itself was getting thick and holding him back. It didn't help that he really didn't want to get any closer to where he was going.

And then he thought he heard the sounds of a fight up ahead. He'd skirted several scuffles between teams so far and—after almost being skewered once by a stray attack—found that it was best to stay as far from other fights as possible. But this fight seemed to be happening right where he wanted (didn't really want) to go…

Naruto's pace slowed to a near crawl and he drew a kunai in case the fighting came to him.

At first, all that told him that there was a fight was the occasional shout or scream. When he was close enough to almost make out words, there were a few explosions—loud booms followed by a few plumes of dust blowing through the trees. And then—

There was an explosion of leaves as a body sailed through them, and that body crashed into the tree next to the one that Naruto was perched in. Before Naruto could move, a second body skidded into view, darting for the body that had crashed. The victim managed to roll aside at the last second as the aggressor hit the tree so hard he blasted off some bark and sent splinters flying.

_Holy crap!_

For a minute, the scene seemed frozen as Naruto gawked at it. One of the combatants was vaguely familiar—a boy all wrapped in bandages and wearing loose violet-gray clothing, a straw cape, and a stooped posture—but Naruto couldn't remember where exactly in the Trials that he'd seen him before, or recall what his music note hitai-ate meant. The boy who'd punched the tree was easier to identify; he wore green spandex, had incredibly bushy eyebrows, a strange face, had very shiny black hair in a bowl-cut, and before the Trials had gotten underway he'd hit on Sakura.

"I shall defeat you!" the boy in green spandex declared, pulling his bandage-wrapped fist out of the small crater he'd left in the tree trunk. "I shall punish you for harming the beautiful Sakura-san!"

_Sakura-chan?_ Naruto blinked and readjusted his hold on his kunai so that he could aid the bushy-browed boy and hopefully find out where his teammates were—

"You've already lost," the mummy-like boy growled and tapped a senbon needle against a strange metal plate strapped to his right forearm—

_Argh, that sound!_

The sound was awful, high-pitched, ringing—it tore at his eardrums and made him dizzy and queasy. Naruto gagged and pitched forward, tumbling off his branch when he couldn't correct himself. He bounced off several branches on the way down before smacking into the dirt with enough force to lose his breath.

Dully, around the stabbing ear pain and dizziness, he noted that the boy in green had landed a few yards away from him, probably in a similar state.

_Urgh…what the hell?_

"Hmm, two for the price of one," the mummy boy remarked, sounding as if he was very far away. "Another Leaf-nin…wearing orange. What a fool. It's the end for both of you now."

Naruto blinked and tried to get his bearings, and noticed that there were a few kunai buried blade-end in the dirt with tags hanging from their end-rings.

Paper tags that hissed.

Explosive tags.

_Shit!_

The blond boy rolled over and tried to crawl away even though his messed up ears made the ground feel like it was as stable as the ocean waves—

_BOOM!_

Naruto went flying from the shockwave and bounced once, twice, and ended up in a small dark cave with spear-like rocks at the entrance that almost looked like teeth…

_…Teeth?_

The air was thick and heavy and rank. It reeked of smoke, rancid meat, and general bad breath. A hot breeze wafted from the black back of the cave, almost like…

Like something was breathing.

_What…where…where the heck am I?_

Looking at the toothy cave opening, Naruto was suddenly reminded of the Kyuubi no Yoko's skull, coated in moss and tree roots so that it had been barely recognizable as a skull.

_Aah, I'm in its mouth!_

Grossed out, and thoroughly freaked out, Naruto staggered to his feet and tried to flee. But, with a loud creak…the jaws snapped shut. And Naruto found himself sitting in utter darkness with no clear escape.

"_Waaaah!_ Somebody get me _out of here!_"

The temperature spiked so that it got hard to breathe. Eerie red energy slowly bubbled up from the back of the cave (from the demon's throat?) and boiled like water for instant ramen…or red-hot lava. Naruto tried to get away from it, but even though the Kyuubi skull was massive, there was only so much space inside its mouth. The horrible energy bubbled over and around him, cocooning him, trying to force its way inside of him through every pore.

And then, right in front of him, a giant eye—red and bloodshot and vulpine—opened and stared at him and through him.

**I see you…little fox!**

**

* * *

**

Sakura trembled in pain and fatigue as she stared down the tube set in the palm of the spiky-haired Oto-nin. She'd put forth her best effort to protect Sasuke, and even gotten some help from Ino-pig, her teammates, and Lee. But it looked like it would all be in vain.

At first she'd been alone, and the trio of Oto-nin genin had easily trounced her. She hadn't given up though, and then Team 10 had arrived. The distraction that they had provided allowed Sakura a few moments to recover.

In the confusion that had followed, Lee had also arrived and thrown himself into battle in her defense. For a moment, she'd had hope that she could win. With four other genin, one of which was their sempai, surely they could defeat these Oto-nin.

But then Team 10 had been driven off. Then Lee had been lead away by the boy swathed in bandages, so he couldn't help her. And the two remaining Oto-nin hadn't been kind to her.

The girl with the long hair had grabbed Sakura's pink tresses and yanked them while mocking her relentlessly. Desperate, Sakura hacked off most of her hair, leaving it short and choppy, so that she couldn't be subdued that way. She'd wanted to return the favor to the Oto kunoichi and slice off all the long, black hair, but the boy and girl had double-teamed her.

And now she kneeled in the dirt and waited for the boy genin to blow her head off with the cannons built into his arms by his mysterious village.

"Stupid girl!" the boy panted. "This is your last chance! Give us your box!"

"…Bite me," Sakura said with a quavering voice.

_You'll get that box over our dead body!_ Inner-Sakura viciously agreed.

"Nah, I'll just blow your brains out," the boy grunted and tensed to fire.

Gathering her nerve, Sakura lunged forward and to the right so that she could latch her teeth into the boy's arm.

"Gah! Crazy bitch!" the boy howled and tried to shake her loose. "Kin, get her off of me!"

"Maybe she has rabies," the girl, Kin, joked nastily, and started hitting Sakura in the head. "You'd better get your booster shots when we return to Otogakure, Zaku."

Each blow got harder and harder. Stars started dancing behind her eyes and her teeth ached as she struggled to keep biting down with all of her strength. She would've used her hands to help hang on, but one arm was numb and her other shoulder throbbed and felt like it could be half-dislocated.

_I won't give up. I can't. Team 7 won't fail because of me._

_ Rah!_ Inner-Sakura cheered, throwing punches and kicks inside Sakura's mind. _You go girl! Make these creeps remember your name!_

"Just kill her already!" Zaku whined. "The master said that killing was okay. He even wanted us to kill some of them!"

"Quit your moaning and stop flailing," Kin grumbled. "If you don't hold still, maybe I'll hit you instead."

"Hurry up!" Zaku complained. "I'm starting to lose feeling…"

The pounding on her skull stopped and from the corner of her eye Sakura dazedly watched as Kin pulled out a few senbon needles from a pouch.

"Hmm…I'd stab her in the ear, but that might make her clamp down harder," Kin mused. "Pricking her jugular would work better, although it'd be slow…"

"Just use a kunai and slit her throat already!" Zaku barked.

"Oh fine, you big baby," Kin pouted and started to put her needles away. "Needles are so much more elegant than…"

Something in the air changed. Kin and Zaku felt it, and looked around warily, the boy even forgetting that Sakura was biting him still. Sakura, still dazed from all the blows to her head, felt it too.

It was like something blotted out the sun, even though it didn't get any darker. The forest grew deathly silent and still, like time had frozen. There was no breeze, but it felt like a chilly draft washed over them.

And then the tense atmosphere was broken with a roar.

"What was that?" Zaku growled. "Some kind of animal?"

"I don't know…" Kin replied quietly and then, apparently recalling that Sakura was still attached to Zaku's arm, cracked the pink-haired girl with a single stunning blow that finally knocked her loose. "Let's finish her, link up with Dosu, and get the hell out of here."

"Yeah," the boy agreed.

Sakura lay on the ground, feeling oddly disconnected from herself.

_What's going on?_

Inner-Sakura gave her no answer.

"Let's finish this, then," Zaku muttered and loomed over her with a drawn kunai and a grim expression.

_"Huuaaarrgh!"_

There was a crashing sound and Kin and Zaku looked away from her.

"Dosu!" Kin cried.

"What the hell, man?" Zaku demanded.

"Run," Dosu told them, and Sakura sluggishly rolled on her side to see the bandage-covered genin. "Forget her and run."

"Why?" Zaku asked.

"Because—"

_"Grraaaooouuh!"_

And then it was there, clinging to the trunk of a tree just behind Dosu.

It was oozing this awful red-orange chakra that cloaked its entire body. The bubbling, warty chakra cloak formed clawed paws on its hands and feet, horns or ears on its head, and a tail. Long thin threads of chakra trailed after it like spider silk, or marionette strings.

Underneath the chakra shell was a sick parody of a human being. It wore clothing that reminded her of Naruto's garish outfit, but through the haze of magical energy it was impossible to tell what color it was. The thing had claws, fangs, pointed ears, thick black stripes on its cheeks, and demon eyes that had slit pupils.

Sakura stared at it and as the adrenalin started washing the haze from her brain she realized that it was evil; an evil far beyond the rogue hunter Zabuza.

"What-what is it?" Kin whimpered.

"It came out of the giant demon skull's mouth," Dosu replied as he readied his sound plate for another attack. "I'll try to stun it so that we can es—"

And then it lunged.


	21. Hell Fox

**Chapter 20**

_Hell Fox_

It was nice to have eyeballs again. Sensing fear was good. But _seeing it_—seeing color leave skin and eyes grow wide—was so much better.

It was also nice to be able to smell again. He drank in the scents of the moist air, decaying leaves, and the sweet perfume of terror. Even though there was the rancid stench of unwashed human tainting everything, he still greatly enjoyed the ability to smell.

Hearing their shouts and screams was a music that he'd sorely missed. The tactile sensation of tearing the boy's arm open was thrilling. And the taste of his blood—metallic with a sickly sweetness—was divine.

If only this could last forever…

Unfortunately, the return of his five senses would only be temporary. The avatar that he'd managed to possess was too young and impure to survive becoming a new vessel for his mighty soul. If only a Kitsune with at least five tails had come to him things would be different.

But what felt like eons after being reduced to a blackened skeleton and sealed with a small forest, a dirty little hanyou would do for a bit of fun. If only he had the time and resources to purify the pathetic thing of its crippling human blood the way that he'd purified himself so long ago… It was really unfortunate that the hanyou was so immature and frail.

With wild joy he hurled his fleshy puppet at the other little humans, leaving the maimed boy to suffer a bit. One of the females tried to poke him with needles but his cloak of raw power easily stopped them. Ignoring her, he struck out at the skulking boy who had tried to harm him with sound waves. Extending an arm of pure chakra he slammed the boy into the base of a tree yards away and started squeezing.

_**See this power?**_ he cooed to the frightened mind of his hanyou host. _**This is but a tiny fraction of what I can give you. Train hard, grow older, and come to me again, little fox. I will burn away all your worthless human blood and forge you into a true demon!**_

_ …You'd cure me of being a werewolf?_

He paused, confused. As a powerful and intelligent demon he was knowledgeable about every race of supernatural beast that roamed the continent. But he'd never heard of anything called a "werewolf" before.

With a frown he turned inward to examine the hanyou-child's memories for information—

_BOOM!_

A spectacular blast of air pressure sent the meat puppet's body cartwheeling—half because of the blast itself and half because of the loss of traction from the destruction of the dirt underneath its feet. The shock slightly disrupted his hold on the hanyou, but he refused to release it until he absolutely had to. When the dust cleared, he found that the boy that he'd maimed had managed the use his undamaged arm to unleash the attack.

He resolved to tear that pristine arm out of its socket.

The children fled. He bellowed and gave chase, intent on gaining as much pleasure as he could from their suffering. But they zigged and zagged through the trees and his chakra threads were stretched to their absolute limit as they tangled around the forest's trunks, which forced him to abort his hunt much too quickly.

However, his disappointment was short-lived. As he worked his way back to his bones, he found that the fourth human child hadn't run with the others. She sat on the ground, trembling, and fingering a clump of pink hair that had been ripped out or cut off.

The human child was female. His hanyou avatar was male. These facts made him smile.

_What are you doing?_

He crept up to her, his pulse (it had been a long time since he'd had one of those) picking up in anticipation. It had been much too long since he'd enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh. Hopefully his control would last long enough to use her up and then end her.

_Leave Sakura-chan alone!_

Ignoring the hanyou-child's protests, he slunk closer and the girl noticed his presence. Her green eyes grew very round but the weight of his awesome aura kept her thoroughly paralyzed. He bared his fangs in delight and he crouched before her for a minute to admire the girl's terror.

_**Why should I leave her be?**_ he sneered as his host continued to complain. _**She's just a human. She's weak, she's stupid, she's fragile, and she has the lifespan of an insect. I have every right to do as I please with her…as do you.**_

He got up and closed the gap, reaching for the girl's shoulder with a clawed hand.

_**You desire this female, don't you?**_

_ Not like that!_

The hanyou fought him, tried to expel him, but the child's efforts only made him laugh. There was no way the little hanyou could hope to resist his power. The boy's human blood made him far too weak—

A foot slammed into the side of his avatar's head, causing the hanyou body to flip end over end until the base of a tree stopped it. The attacker turned out to be a fifth human, a boy dressed in tight-fighting green clothing with a face that was bizarre, even for a human. Strange face set in determination, the boy started loosening the bandages wrapped around his hands and wrists.

"Beast of the Forest of Death," the boy barked. "You will not harm the beautiful Sakura-san! I, Rock Lee, will not allow it! With the strength of my Youth and through the power of my hard work, I will defeat you!"

He snorted and darted in, intent on destroying the foolish human so that he could get back to his pink-haired play-thing.

The green-boy was fast, but he was faster. The green-boy was strong, but he was stronger. The green-boy was skilled, but that didn't matter much against such a superior opponent.

But the stupid little human just didn't give up, and through a mixture of luck and skill managed not to die. And the strain of fighting took its toll on his living puppet. The hanyou was young and its flesh was inferior. Simple exposure to his power was slowly destroying it, and the fighting only accelerated the process.

And then his chakra cloak started to lose coherence…which allowed the green boy to successfully lasso him with his dangling arm bandages.

"Now you shall experience the power of the lotus!"

The last thing he was aware of before his chakra threads snapped and the hanyou was torn away from his influence was a stomach churning spiral straight down into the dirt.

* * *

Sakura was sure that she was trapped in some sort of dream that couldn't decide whether or not it really wanted to be a nightmare or not. A corner of her mind actually started listing events that qualified as "dream" and "nightmare".

Dream: Kakashi-sensei had entered their squad in the Trials and they had passed the first part of the tests with relative ease.

Nightmare: Naruto and Sasuke's fight, the encounter and fight at the giant Kitsune bones, Naruto's disappearance, Sasuke's mysterious injury, and the attack of the Oto-genin.

Dream: Team Ten's timely arrival and then Rock Lee's even more timely arrival (with a cute little squirrel riding on his shoulder, no less).

Nightmare: Team Ten breaking off, Lee disappearing, cutting her own hair, getting the daylights knocked out of her, and the attack of that…that…_thing_.

Dream: Lee's second timely arrival and—against all odds—defeat of that horrible creature that had trounced the Oto-genin and come back to get her too.

So…when was the next nightmare segment going to start?

"Sakura-san, are you alright?"

The girl blinked dazedly up at Lee, who was exhausted and battered but still standing.

"…Yeah," she managed to croak. "I-I think so."

"I am sorry that I was unable to adequately protect you," the boy in green spandex apologized. "After the Trials, I will run 100 laps around Konoha as punishment!"

"You-you don't have to—"

"I must!" Lee insisted, his odd round eyes aflame with determination.

A cracking twig made the girl jump.

"That-that creature…did you really beat it?" she asked nervously, her green eyes flickering towards the distant crater that Lee had created with his final devastating attack.

"Yes," Lee nodded sharply. "He has not moved since my attack succeeded and the chakra connection to that cave was broken."

"The…what?" Sakura blinked. "What cave?"

Lee gestured in the direction from which the chakra-shrouded demon had first appeared.

"There was a small cave set into the hillside thirty yards that way. He emerged from it shortly after Dosu incapacitated me with his sound abilities and remained connected to it through chakra threads. He must have some source of power hidden inside that cave."

The pink-haired girl struggled to her feet and squinted at where Lee was pointing, but there were too many trees in the way. She hesitated and then staggered slowly towards the crater where the monster lay. She didn't doubt Lee's strength, but she just had to see it to be sure…

Without the shell of bubbling red-orange chakra and the aura of absolute malice, the core of the monster was very unthreatening. It looked like an ordinary genin-level shinobi curled up and unconscious in the center of the small, shallow crater. He was dressed almost entirely in a gaudy shade of orange that was made even more eye-catching by his yellow-blond hair and…and…

_…Naruto?_

"Lee, there you are!"

Sakura flinched and turned her head to see the bun-haired girl she'd seen from before the first official test and another genin their age drop down from the trees. She thought that Lee's second teammate was a girl at first glance because of the long straight hair, but after a short inspection she found the person to be a boy. His eyes took most of her attention as soon as she really looked at them. They were white and didn't appear to have pupils—the complete opposite of Sasuke's black eyes.

"Tenten!" Lee beamed. "Neji!"

"You didn't meet up with us on time," Tenten complained. "And when Neji finally spotted you, you were fighting…something."

"Did you acquire the type of box we need?" Neji asked coldly.

"No," Lee replied. "My battle was not to gain the box, but to defend Sakura-san, a comrade."

"This is not an ordinary mission where wasting time to aide another member of Konoha would be acceptable," Neji chastised his teammate. "In this case, she is competition, and you should not have offered her assistance. Does she have the box we need?"

"N-no," Sakura managed to squeak out. "My team…we lost our box, we don't have either one," she lied.

Neji stared at her for a moment. Then he ran through a short series of hand seals and his white eyes bulged outwards slightly, along with extra pulsing veins around his eyes. His featureless white orbs now looked unnerving, inhuman, like cracked glass orbs. It made the older boy twice as intimidating as before.

"She has no box," Neji said after studying her closely for a short eternity and he relaxed his frightening eye technique. "We need to move on."

Lee didn't look happy, but he didn't disagree either.

"Farewell, Sakura-san!" he said with a bow. "I hope to see you again soon!"

"Good luck," Tenten told her with a little smile. "You still have three days for your team to find the boxes that you need, so don't give up yet."

Neji said nothing to her, and simply led his companions back up into the trees and away…leaving her alone again.

Sakura shivered and almost flopped to the ground. Her green eyes aimlessly drifted around at her surroundings before landing on the crater again. She bit her lip and then slowly, cautiously edged closer until she could examine the limp body with her trembling hands.

The distorted features she'd noticed when he'd still been enshrouded in the evil chakra remained. The stripes on his cheeks, the fangs in his mouth, the claws on his fingers, and the points on his ears hadn't gone away. The only thing she couldn't check was his eyes. But in spite of it all she was left convinced that this was Naruto.

Who else would wear such an awful orange outfit _anywhere_?

"Naruto…what happened to you?"

As he was unconscious, he didn't respond.

She lingered there for a while, battered and numb until Inner-Sakura returned to snap her out of it.

_Enough sitting around! New enemies could arrive at any minute. Let's grab Naruto-baka and get back to our Sasuke-kun, cha!_

With her head throbbing and her body aching, she grabbed Naruto by his ankles and awkwardly dragged him back to where she'd stashed Sasuke (and their black box). It was slow, painful going, and she ended up having to pass by the creepy, overgrown, giant demon skull. As she pulled him along, Naruto's ugly orange jacket rode up and formed some odd bulges…

_Wait a minute…_

Sakura looked over at the buried skull…and noticed that some of the vines and roots that grew through and around it had snapped. Some of the moss looked charred, revealing more of the bone underneath. And…it looked like wisps of smoke were curling around the pointed teeth of the lower jaw.

_…Lee said that he came out of a "cave"…_

A sharp chill infused her body and Sakura redoubled her efforts to drag Naruto back to the little tree-cavern where Sasuke was.

_We had better pass this trial because I am never coming back to this place ever again!_

_

* * *

_

Fugaku left his office in the headquarters of the Military Police for his lunch break. The Trials always put him in a foul mood. Allowing genin from other countries (it didn't matter how small or weak) into their village was just asking for trouble. The only good thing about the situation was that genin from the greater villages like Suna and Kumo weren't invited as their own villages were large enough to host separate tests for chuunin rank.

His bad mood was further enhanced by the lack of new information that Itachi had been able to provide him with on that Naruto boy. He'd hoped that his elder son would be able to find some scraps of information that would either support or destroy the possibility of the boy having inherited lycanthropy from his father (looking at a picture of the boy, there was little doubt as to his paternity). But there was nothing in any record that Itachi had access to that gave any hint on the issue.

_If only Sarutobi hadn't been so squeamish about Itachi's age when he first applied for ANBU service…_ Fugaku ground his teeth. _The highly classified files and information sources that he'd have access to would surely shed light on this situation._

It looked there was only one way to settle the issue. As soon as Sasuke's team was released from the Forest of Death, he would have to track Naruto down and administer the werewolf test on him. If the boy's skin burned from silver contact, Fugaku would have to arrange for the child to be dealt with.

As the Uchiha leader approached his home in the heart of his clan's territory, he noticed a stranger conversing with his wife. He frowned deeply and activated his Sharingan briefly to get a good look at the intruder. The strange man had dark brown hair, pale blue eyes, a short sword, black clothing, a dull gray flak vest with a blue spiral set into the back…

_A foreigner, the vest suggests Uzu._

Now scowling he picked up the pace. Even though the Uzu-nin was clearly not that wretched woman, Fugaku didn't trust him. He was a completely unknown quantity and that could be very dangerous.

"Oh, Fugaku!" Mikoto greeted him, breaking off her polite conversation with the stranger as he approached. "The new liaison from Uzu is here."

The stranger turned fully around and bowed respectfully to Fugaku.

"I am Biyokuchi Kasshoku. It is an honor to meet the head of Clan Uchiha."

Fugaku nodded in response.

"What brings you to the Uchiha District?"

"I have recently arrived and I feel that I should introduce myself to the important clans," the Uzu-nin answered. "It has been a while since any of my comrades have come to your village."

"I see," Fugaku replied neutrally.

"I was asking him if he could tell me anything about Kushina," his wife told him. "I haven't heard from her in so long…"

"I don't personally know her," the Biyokuchi shrugged apologetically. "I can't explain her silence."

Fugaku internally debated whether or not to send the man away. He'd come and introduced himself and the Uchiha could always send a trusted officer to feel the foreigner out more thoroughly later in some location other than the District. But this man was from Uzu and while he might not know that woman personally there was a good chance he would know something (even just a rumor) about her offspring…especially if he had turned out to be a werewolf.

"If you have time, would you like to have lunch in my back garden?" Fugaku offered.

The Uzu-nin looked surprised, but very pleased at the invitation.

"I would be most honored to join you."

Whispering a few instructions to his wife, Fugaku led the man around the side of his house and into the back yard where there was a small garden and koi pond. He settled his guest on the back porch by a small table that was often used to play strategy games. Mikoto brought out some light fruit juice and the framed photograph of Sasuke's genin team.

"Do you have any children, Biyokuchi-san?" Fugaku inquired.

"No, I don't," the Uzu-nin replied.

"I have two sons. Itachi serves me well in the Military Police and I am sure that he will mature into a fine leader for my clan. His younger brother, Sasuke, is slightly less talented, but he is tenacious and highly driven and I have no doubt that he will excel greatly as a shinobi. Sasuke is currently participating in the Trials and I have great confidence that he will gain chuunin rank."

Fugaku displayed the picture and pointed Sasuke out to his guest.

"A very handsome boy," the Biyokuchi remarked as he studied the photograph. "I'm sure that there are a lot of girls after him."

"My wife was close friends with Uzumaki Kushina and she was quite excited to be having Sasuke at the same time as she was going to have her first child," Fugaku said. "You may not know the woman personally, but have you heard anything about her or her child?"

"The less said about either, the better," the Uzu-nin said with a grimace.

"I never cared much for the woman myself," Fugaku replied. "But anything at all about her would mean a lot to my wife."

"There's really nothing good to say," Kasshoku sighed and shook his head. "Your wife would be much happier knowing nothing."

Annoyed at the man's tight-lipped responses, Fugaku tried a different angle of attack.

"This boy," he said, pointing to the team picture again, "Naruto…he reminds me very much of Uzumaki-san."

It was a lie, of course. He'd never met the boy, and Sasuke had never said much of his teammate's personality. Sasuke had a purely professional relationship with his team as was proper of an Uchiha.

"Does he?" Kasshoku muttered as he studied the blond boy's image. Then the Uzu-nin's expression visibly darkened. "Hmm…"

Mikoto came out the back door and brought out a simple lunch—the same lunch that Fugaku had expected for himself doubled to feed their guest. She took the picture back inside with her, leaving them alone again. Fugaku selected an onigiri from the plate and raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

The Uzu-nin hesitated a moment more before answering.

"Uzumaki Kushina birthed a son with strange markings on his face. And soon it became clear that he had inherited lycanthropy. The village demanded that the creature be disposed of, but she delayed and refused. Eventually, long after the problem should've been dealt with, Clan Uzumaki claimed that the creature had been taken care of."

Kasshoku paused to select an onigiri and bite into the stuffed rice ball.

"That name and that face, though… I'm very sorry to say it but seems like Clan Uzumaki may have lied." The foreigner gave him an apologetic look. "And, should this boy test positive for lycanthropy, I hate to ask you to clean up my village's mess."

"You weren't the ones to sweep the problem under the rug," Fugaku said, his mind chewing through this new information.

"It should have been dealt with swiftly and properly," Kasshoku frowned. "That boy could've bitten someone and spread the disease."

"The Uchiha will take appropriate action," Fugaku promised.

"Thank you," the Uzu-nin sighed gratefully.

"It is no trouble," the Uchiha responded. "It is the duty of the Uchiha Clan to deal with such problems. And we will do our duty."

The Biyokuchi nodded and the two men settled into more mundane small talk as they ate.

_It seems that I may have to sharpen my silver knife…_


	22. Papa Wolf, Mama Fox

**Chapter 21**

_Papa Wolf, Mama Fox_

The ANBU—codename: Mangetsu—had to use all of his stealth to slip into the Uchiha District without being noticed. Regardless of his mission, if any Uchiha caught him trespassing they would drive him out and complain very loudly to the Hokage. So he was quick and careful and had he not had a good idea of where his target was headed, he would've lost Biyokuchi Kasshoku while keeping out of sight of the Uchiha Clan.

He managed to catch up just as Fugaku arrived home for lunch. When the clan head and the Uzu-nin walked around the house to the back yard, he made a wide loop around to the same area and took a post in a tree at the very edge of the yard. The dense leaves gave him excellent cover on all sides, but also made it so that he could barely see a thing outside of his hiding spot.

So he depended on his ears instead. Within moments his ears had changed shape from the usual human form into furry triangular ears, one cocked towards the conversation between the Uchiha and the foreigner and the other facing away to be alert to possible threats. And he listened to every word that they said so that he could later relay it all to the Hokage.

_"…My wife was close friends with Uzumaki Kushina and she was quite excited to be having Sasuke at the same time as she was going to have her first child. You may not know the woman personally, but have you heard anything about her or her child?"_

That really caught his attention. He briefly wondered why on earth Fugaku cared because his child was dead. Then he shoved the fleeting thought aside and listened even harder.

_"The less said about either, the better."_

_ "I never cared much for the woman myself. But anything at all about her would mean a lot to my wife."_

_ "There's really nothing good to say. Your wife would be much happier knowing nothing."_

_ "…This boy…Naruto…he reminds me very much of Uzumaki-san."_

That name almost knocked him out of the tree. It was the same name that he and Kushina had pulled out of the advance copy of the book that Jiraiya had sent him mere days before his first transformation and subsequent desertion. Unless Kushina had changed her mind after he'd gone, that was his child's name.

He wanted to look at that picture that Fugaku had so badly…

But he stayed in the tree and listened, now with both ears, as his muscles cramped with tension and his blood burned with adrenalin.

_"…Well?"_

_ "Uzumaki Kushina birthed a son with strange markings on his face. And soon it became clear that he had inherited lycanthropy. The village demanded that the creature be disposed of, but she delayed and refused. Eventually, long after the problem should've been dealt with, Clan Uzumaki claimed that the creature had been taken care of…_

_ "That name and that face, though… I'm very sorry to say it but seems like Clan Uzumaki may have lied."_

He felt his heart stop. It wasn't for sure. But the possibility, no matter how remote…

And the fact that they were discussing this meant not only could Naruto be _alive,_ but he could be _here_—in Konoha.

_"…And, should this boy test positive for lycanthropy, I hate to ask you to clean up my village's mess."_

His jittery elation froze in his veins.

_"You weren't the ones to sweep the problem under the rug."_

He glared at the screen of green leaves that prevented him from glaring at the two conspiring ninjas.

_"It should have been dealt with swiftly and properly. That boy could've bitten someone and spread the disease."_

His teeth started to get pointed.

_"The Uchiha will take appropriate action."_

Claws burst through the tips of his black gloves and dug deeply into the branch he was perched on.

_"Thank you."_

A growl burned in the back of his throat and his skin felt itchy.

_"It is no trouble. It is the duty of the Uchiha Clan to deal with such problems. And we will do our duty."_

They most certainly would not. He'd kill them first. He had his kunai again, with proper paper to hold his seals, and he could kill them in an instant.

It would be so easy. All he had to do was throw two kunai from his hiding place and he could neutralize Fugaku and Kasshoku in the blink of an eye, and then warp across the village or across the whole country to escape. No one could stop him. If he took his kunai with him afterwards, there was a good chance that no one would ever know who did it.

He reached into his secondary kunai pouch and grasped the paper-wrapped handle of one of his tri-bladed kunai—

The ear-bud—which had fallen out of his left ear when he'd shifted them and now dangled by his neck—let out a burst of static as some other ANBU keyed their radio (probably accidentally). Even though it wasn't directly in his ear, it still hurt his eardrums due to his heightened hearing. He clutched at his furry canine ears, bit his tongue to keep from yelping, and almost fell out of the tree.

_"What was that?"_

_ "What was what?"_

_ "I thought I heard something…"_

_ "Probably some bird or squirrel. Would you like some sake?"_

_ "…No thank you, Uchiha-san. I have a few other places I would like to visit today and I wish to keep my head clear."_

Mangetsu shuddered and fumbled with his radio, switching it from a neutral frequency to turning it off completely. His ears throbbed for a few minutes and he grimaced at the taste of his own blood in his mouth from where he'd bitten his tongue. He stared down at his hands for a moment before he struggled to regain his composure.

_Killing them is not my assignment,_ he firmly reminded himself. _One is shielded by diplomatic power, and the other is the head of one of the great clans. I can't kill either of them without Hokage-sama's express orders to do so._

The wolf in him still burned to kill them, though. Or, at the very least, intimidate them out of doing anything that threatened his pack. It didn't matter that the threat wasn't imminent—the human mind imagined it and the wolf reacted to that and the emotional stress that came with the imagining.

It was one of the downsides of being a werewolf that most people didn't know about. Not long after the curse had taken hold of him, the way that he thought had subtly started to change. Even before his first transformation he'd start thinking like a wolf, especially when he was under stress. And after his first change it had only gotten worse.

His thought of the people closest to him as his pack and he defended them without a thought. He had to cling to tree branches or railings to keep himself from interfering in his students' fights when they weren't faring well. And sometimes he couldn't quite catch himself from speaking up in defense of his sensei or girlfriend when he caught a snatch of unfair gossip while walking down the street.

Naruto, as his offspring, was "pack" by virtue of being his offspring. It didn't matter that he'd never laid eyes on the child before or smelled his scent or heard his voice or held the boy in his arms. He'd felt Naruto move in Kushina's womb and he'd dreamed of his child for years and if anyone dared threaten—

_Don't think about it,_ he told himself as he worked to pay attention to the tail-end of Fugaku's informal meeting. _Kasshoku wasn't able to say if the Naruto in the picture is __**my**__ Naruto. It could be some other boy with that name. I need to focus on my job._

However, as soon as his shift at following Biyokuchi Kasshoku was over and he reported to Hokage-sama on his activities, he wasn't going to leave until this was cleared up.

* * *

Uzumaki Kenjiro was starting to see why his grandfather, one of the previous leaders of Clan Uzumaki, may have committed suicide. With every passing day Clan Kurohi was revealed to be doing things or planning things that put their village in grave danger. Yet, even after his son Kenshin had brought back horrifying information on what a large faction of the Shadows were doing off on the islet, the leaders of Clans Furukawa and Hoshitama were reluctant to do anything "rash" or "drastic".

They wanted to try and persuade some of the more neutral-leaning clans onto their side so that they could eventually get enough of a majority to overrule Clan Kurohi's dangerous ambitions. Their three clans combined were far too weak to go up against the other seven clans of the village. And their village was too small and weak to survive a civil war.

And now Mito had come to him with more bad news. A Konoha-nin had managed to infiltrate Uzushiogakure no Sato and saw the truth hidden by their walls. The Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato also now knew this secret. And an Uzu-nin had been sent to Konoha to represent the village, but Clan Uzumaki (and Clans Hoshitama and Furukawa, too) hadn't approved him.

Kenjiro slumped in his armchair and glowered at the older-looking woman who sat across from him and sipped at a cup of tea. When he'd been young and his father had still been alive, Uzumaki Mito had been pointed out to him one day. The reason that she was a gardener, his father told him, was that the village resented her. They felt that she could've lessened the Great Slaughter through her human husband, and so she had voluntarily refused the position of clan elder that her age and seniority should have earned her.

At the time, he hadn't had much of an opinion on her, and with her low (almost invisible) profile he'd nearly forgotten about her completely…

…But now he decided that he hated her.

"So what am I supposed to do about this?" he growled. "Please, Mito-_sama_, enlighten me!"

"You are the leader of our clan," Mito responded calmly. "What do _you_ want to do about this?"

He wanted to strangle her.

"It doesn't seem like I can do anything!" he groused. "Clan Uzumaki is too small to do anything alone and the Furukawa and Hoshitama aren't interested in doing anything overt."

"Hmm." The old woman sipped at her tea and looked thoughtful for a minute. "It is my understanding that when this village was first founded that the plan was that once our population was rebuilt and the memories of the Kyuubi no Yoko had faded that we would reveal ourselves and live openly again."

"Our village is still too small, and now it is divided," Kenjiro retorted. "The village council would never agree to do that, especially not with Clan Kurohi now holding the most prestige."

"The Hokage already knows," Mito reminded him. "Now would be a good opportunity to distance our clan from the Kurohi and the clans under their sway, and offer ourselves up as an ally."

"Why didn't you just kill this Jiraiya in the first place instead of letting him go?" he demanded.

"Jiraiya is important to Konoha and personally important to the current Hokage," she answered. "If I had killed him, he would've been missed, and missed quickly. I am sure that he'd already sent a message back to his leader before revealing himself. And even if he hadn't, the Hokage already had some suspicions."

"How?" Kenjiro snarled. "Did Kushina make another mistake beyond her terrible taste in boyfriends and birth control?"

"Naruto-kun is in Konoha and he couldn't keep himself a secret, even though he tried," she told him. "The boy ended up there purely by chance, and the Hokage couldn't help but notice how he differs from the usual werewolf. It seems that the boy has even inherited the ability to generate _kitsune-bi_."

"…Inari-kami damn it to hell," Kenjiro huffed as he swiftly developed a migraine.

"Tell me, Kenjiro-sama," Mito murmured between sips of her tea. "Do you approve of the things that Clan Kurohi is doing? The treaties with dangerous demons, the dealings with Oto, the Biyokuchi in Konoha, the bite-breeding of werewolves with innocent Uzu civilians?"

"No, of course not!" Kenjiro snapped hotly.

He took his village's oath to defend the human civilians of _Uzu no Kuni_ very seriously, and what the Kurohi and their Shadow puppets were doing to them was an absolute betrayal of their village's promise.

"Then prove to Hokage-sama that we are different from them," she advised. "Biyokuchi Kasshoku does not represent our clan, so send someone who does."

"…I suppose you have someone in mind?" he growled sourly.

"I do," she smiled kindly. "But you won't like it."

"I hate you," he said.

"A lot of people do," the old gardener shrugged and reached for the teapot sitting on the small table beside her chair. "More tea?"

* * *

Sarutobi sat in his more private office (a smaller room than his public office that had no windows and the walls were laced with layers of sound-blocking seals) and listened intently as Mangetsu gave his report on Biyokuchi Kasshoku's movements and dealings. The Uzu-nin had visited several of Konoha's major clans, introduced himself, and taken steps to ingratiate himself to them. After breakfast he visited the Aburame, then the Senju, and at lunch he saw the Uchiha, then the Inuzuka, and just after dinner he paid a visit to the Yamanaka before spending an hour at a bar and then returning to his accommodations for the night.

Mangetsu faithfully gave accounts of the Uzu-nin's conversations and interactions. Kasshoku's words with Fugaku were very troubling and Sarutobi made a mental note to make sure that when Naruto returned from the Forest of Death that he had an ANBU trailing him for protection. Or perhaps he should send Naruto out of the village for his training in the break between the Forest of Death and the public demon-slayings in the village stadium that made up the final trial.

_Jiraiya is still in Uzu, and probably will be for a while longer. If several of Kakashi's students advance to the final trial then—_

"Hokage-sama," Mangetsu piped up politely. "I would like to know about the boy that Fugaku and Kasshoku were discussing."

The Hokage had expected some question from the ANBU about the subject, but he was impressed that Mangetsu had gone through his whole report before asking.

"Before we get to him," the old man said as he pulled out several of Jiraiya's original messages from Uzu that he'd stored in a secured drawer, "I'd like you to read these."

The ANBU hesitantly accepted the scraps of paper and skimmed them. And then he read them more closely, several times. Then he pulled off his canine mask (without asking for permission to, first) and read them again, disbelief and shock clearly written on his uncovered face.

"I…this can't…I don't…"

Sarutobi felt bad as he watched the younger man grapple with the revelation that his girlfriend and the mother of his child wasn't human and never had been. However, this knowledge was necessary for his understanding of why the Hokage had failed to mention Naruto earlier. The old man would've liked to space out Kushina's true nature and Naruto presence in the village so that Minato could better deal with the information, but Fugaku's plotting had thwarted that.

"…It…it can't be true!"

"Jiraiya would not lie about this, and certainly not to me," the Hokage responded.

The blond shinobi finally tore his eyes away from the scrawled messages, visibly distraught.

"Why…?"

There were a lot of "whys" he could be asking. Why tell him that all Uzu-nin were Kitsune when he'd asked about Naruto? Why did Kushina, a Kitsune, choose to involve herself with him, a werewolf? Why did he have to be involved in such a mess?

"I told you this for two reasons," Sarutobi said. "I would like you to be extremely cautious in dealing with any Uzu-nin from now on. A lot of what Jiraiya is uncovering _seems_ to contradict the old knowledge on Kitsune." The old man leaned over his desk and retrieved the messages from Minato's hand. "And the reason that I didn't mention Naruto to you earlier is that he displays a mixture of werewolf and Kitsune traits. At the time it wasn't known that Kushina was a Kitsune, so there was a very real chance that Naruto wasn't related to you at all and it would be cruel to get your hopes up only to learn that he was not your son."

It had also been cruel not to mention the boy at all to Minato before, the Hokage knew, but he was sure that it was the lesser evil.

"A…hybrid?" Minato fidgeted with his ANBU mask before setting it on Hiruzen's desk before he dropped it. "He's not just a hanyou?"

"Naruto has admitted to being sensitive to silver, a very clear non-Kitsune trait," the Hokage answered. "And he is strongly affected by the full moon. It's hard to determine whether his shape-shifting abilities have more to do with being a werewolf or a half-Kitsune. The boy is tight-lipped and skittish when it comes to discussing his origins. I'm sure that he was threatened before he was sent away from Uzushiogakure no Sato. And he would have further motivation to keep quiet with Kushina being a fox demon. To keep her safe he wouldn't think it would be a good idea to tell demon hunters about her."

Minato stared off into space for a few minutes before speaking again.

"So…Kushina arranged for Naruto to come here in secret?"

"No, not exactly," the Hokage replied with a sad shake of his head.

The old man outlined Naruto's expulsion from the fox village through his meandering through the foster care system of the Land of Fire to his arrival and belated discovery in Konoha as best as he could with the information that was known. It pained him to watch Minato's face as every unhappy detail increased the younger man's anguish. When Hiruzen was finished, the werewolf shinobi almost looked like he'd shrunk.

"…I should've come back sooner," Minato muttered dully. "As soon as I learned how to regain human form I should've—"

"How were you to know what was going to happen?" the Hokage asked. "You didn't know that Kushina was a Kitsune, did you?" Minato shook his head. "So how could you have known how badly her people would receive Naruto?" The old man frowned. "Considering how limited the Kitsune population appears to be, one would think that they would be willing to overlook his werewolf traits."

Minato sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face.

"Can I…see him?"

"Currently he is in the Forest of Death undertaking the Trials," Sarutobi told him. "And I feel I should warn you, he does not like you and blames you for getting him disowned."

"I figured that he might," the younger shinobi said with a faint, bitter smile. "Could…could I get a picture?"

The Hokage nodded and rifled through his drawers until he found Naruto's secret file that detailed all of the boy's unusual traits, removed the boy's photograph, and handed it to the werewolf ANBU.

"Go home, Minato," the old man said, as he rearranged some papers in his desk drawer. "We'll talk more about Naruto tomorrow evening."

"_Hai_, Hokage-sama," Minato muttered as he slipped the picture into his weapon pouch and put his mask back on. "Good night."

When the ANBU had departed, the old man sighed and started securing his secondary office so that he could return home in time to have dinner with his wife and grandson.

_I really hate my job sometimes…_

_

* * *

_

Minato was overwhelmed to the point of numbness when he returned home. His old apartment had long been rented to someone else after that full moon had outed him as a werewolf, so the Hokage had granted him a new residence. Instead of setting him up with an apartment, he'd been given the keys to a small house in a quiet civilian neighborhood. It had been vacant for a long time and needed a lot of cleaning and furnishing. After his first visit to the house, he entered and exited via his _Hiraishin_ instead of the doors or windows to keep the neighbors thinking that the house was empty.

He stripped out of his ANBU attire, took a quick shower, and dressed for bed but didn't head to his room immediately. Instead, he wandered around the ground floor aimlessly. The kitchen had all the necessary appliances and furniture, but the living room was bare of everything but an unplugged television set and a stack of boxes.

In addition to the house, he'd been provided with all the supplies he could need. There was a box of ANBU gear, a box of jounin-style ninja clothing, a box of civilian clothing, boxes of weapons, seal paper, and reference books, and a box that had framed copies of photographs pulled from the village archives. The top pictures he'd seen when he'd opened the cardboard box was his team photo when he'd been the genin and when he'd been the sensei.

He didn't bother to unpack the pictures and set them up. They were painful reminders of his old teammates, who had died on the same night that he'd been cursed, and of his students, two of which were now deceased. And even though his sensei and Kakashi were still alive, he couldn't contact them without permission and without compromising his ANBU identity. So he left them, and whatever pictures might be underneath, hidden in the box.

Eventually he decided to brew some tea, and while the water was heating up on the stove he took out Naruto's picture and studied it.

Naruto had his hair; that much was instantly obvious. The boy's eyes were the same color as his own, but the way that they were set in his face, and the shape of his face, made him think of Kushina. The whisker-like markings were odd but sort of cute, and an indication of his hanyou status. His clothing looked bizarre (at least, what Minato could see of it) with a thick white collar, blue shoulders, and a bit of bright orange. Naruto was smiling almost smugly at the camera as his picture had been taken.

_My son…_

His eyes watered and no matter how he wiped at them more moisture leaked out. After a minute he just gave up and started to cry. Naruto was _alive_ and _here_ and someday soon he'd get a glimpse of him in the flesh and learn his voice and his personality, and he was so relieved and happy. It didn't matter if his child hated him or that he had no idea how he felt about Kushina being a fox demon instead of a human.

_My son._

Naruto was alive.

* * *

Kushina trudged up the stairs to her room, ready for bed. After the old gardener had snapped her out of her funk, she'd arranged a meeting of her own with Jiraiya outside of the village. He had confirmed her suspicions that the tracking seal painted on her shoulder wasn't removable without alerting the clan elders. And she'd been frustrated at how little else Jiraiya had been able to tell her about Naruto.

_I need to get to Naruto,_ she fumed. _I need to fix Naruto's skewed perception of Minato. Naruto needs to hear all the good things…and he needs to hear them from me._

Jiraiya had offered to smuggle letters to her son, but that wouldn't do. Naruto was like her, not much of a reader, and she wasn't much of a writer so letters wouldn't work. While her son might ignore what other people said, he would listen to her.

_But how? I can't go there, he can't come here, and there aren't any phone lines between here and Konoha. So…_

When she opened the door to her bedroom, she was startled to see her father waiting there for her. Since she hadn't seen him at dinner, she'd thought that he was off dining with friends or whatever. He looked almost haggard and very cranky.

"What?" she snapped.

"Take your shirt off," her father grunted.

"What?" she squawked.

He glared at her until she hesitantly complied. Her father walked around behind her while she stood there wearing only her pants and bra and put his hand on the back of her right shoulder. There was a sudden sharp and burning pain and then he removed his hand.

"Ow!" she hissed and grasped at her shoulder. "What—"

The tracking seal was gone.

"I have an assignment for you," he grumbled and shoved her shirt back at her.

"An assignment?" Kushina frowned and covered herself up again. "What if I don't want to do it?"

Although she trained often and at times obsessively, she hadn't gone out in the field as a kunoichi since returning to Uzushiogakure to have Naruto. Most missions required that she leave the country and with her tracking seal that was impossible. And the missions that didn't involve extensive travel didn't interest her. Even if they had been interesting jobs, she wouldn't have taken them. It was one of her ways of scorning her village.

"You'll want to do it," her father said. "Trust me."


	23. Out of the Forest

**Chapter 22**

_Out of the Forest_

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he felt a profound sense of relief that it had all been a dream. The giant demon skull hadn't eaten him. Evil demon chakra hadn't consumed him. He hadn't been turned into a powerless puppet that chased the Oto-genin like rabbits and wanted to do awful things to Sakura-chan. It had all been a dream…a horrible, horrible nightmare…not real, whatever it was.

…And then his tongue brushed up against one of his fangs, and his fingers flexed so that the tips of his claws poked his palms, and every muscle in his body burned like he'd been training non-stop for three days.

Waking up with fangs and claws wasn't too unusual. Really bad nightmares would get him to shift a little bit, but he never got anywhere near full animal. Waking up feeling like he'd run for days, though, had never happened before.

_Whatever, I'll worry about it later._

He glanced around cautiously and his dark surroundings made him think that he was still in the giant fox demon's mouth for a moment. Then he rolled over and spied Sasuke laid out on the ground a yard away. And beyond him, back-lit by the gray morning light, he saw Sakura sitting at the entrance of the not-toothy cave.

Naruto hurriedly rolled onto his side so that his back was facing his female teammate.

_Okay, time to lose the foxy features before Sakura-chan sees them!_

It took longer than it usually did to shrink his fangs, blunt his nails, and take care of his ears, eyes, and the exaggerated marks on his face. And it hurt a little bit, too, which wasn't normal. The worst his transformations felt was rather uncomfortable, and only when he went all the way from human to beast.

He brushed the oddness aside. Now that he was back with his team, they could get out of this damn forest. So he sat up—

"Ow ow ow!"

Moving made his body feel like one big bruise, and the force of gravity seemed to have doubled making it that much harder to sit up.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?" Naruto grunted, squinting at his female teammate.

Sakura looked tired and pale, which made the bruises that dotted her skin all the more noticeable. She regarded him with a wariness that quickly started to make him nervous. Why was she looking at him like she was afraid of him?

"Are…are you okay now?" the pink-haired girl squeaked.

"I feel really crappy, but I'll be okay," the blond boy replied.

"You sure?" Sakura asked, hesitantly crawling closer. "Oh!" the girl suddenly relaxed. "You're back to normal now…"

"…Huh?" Naruto blinked as a chill of unease prickling over his skin.

"Yesterday…it was like you were a demon," she told him with a shiver. "You had fangs and claws and your eyes…and-and you were covered in this awful chakra that Lee-san said came out of the huge demon skull…"

_That…wasn't a dream?_ Naruto felt cold. _Oh shit!_

"You don't remember that?" his female teammate asked.

Naruto frantically shook his head, jumping on the opportunity to play dumb.

"Oh…" Sakura turned away from him and crawled over to Sasuke's side. "It was really awful. I'm glad that you're back to normal now."

With Sakura's attention off him, Naruto took a moment to be thoroughly horrified. It hadn't just been a dream. It had been real. He'd been the helpless puppet of the apparently undead Kyuubi no Yoko.

…The dead fox demon had really offered him the opportunity to rid himself of his lycanthropy-tainted human blood forever.

That was tempting. Very, very tempting. But would he be able to survive without all of that human blood? And what sort of price would the wicked skeleton demand for its help?

He thought of the glimpse of the demon he had seen while it had used him, and how it had delighted in the fear and the pain and the suffering of both Naruto's enemies and of his friends, and shuddered.

_The Kyuubi is too evil,_ he thought, nibbling at his lower lip. _But if I could find someone else that could do the same thing…_

_ …I could live with mom again._

"Sasuke-kun…please wake up."

Naruto blinked and turned his attention to his two teammates. Sasuke was still out cold and hadn't so much as moved. Sakura knelt beside him and looked close to tears.

"Is something wrong with him?" Naruto asked.

"That Kusa-nin who summoned the snakes…was a man," she answered, wringing her hands. "When he and Sasuke-kun fought, the man—he called himself Orochimaru—did something to him…_bit_ him. He hasn't woken up since."

"He bit Sasuke?"

Naruto frowned and stiffly crawled over and looked where Sakura gestured to see the wound for himself. There was an odd mark at the juncture of the Uchiha's neck and shoulder. It was hard to see as it was practically on his back, but it wasn't like any scar that the blond boy had ever seen. He thought it looked more like a Sharingan-inspired tattoo.

"What the heck…an evil hickey?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped, appalled. "Be serious! That mark is doing something to him—maybe killing him! If he doesn't wake up soon…"

"Let's get him to the tower, then," Naruto said. "I'm sure they'll have doctors there."

"But if we go there with only one box, we'll fail," she protested. "And if we fail, Sasuke-kun will be so upset—"

"Better than him being dead!" Naruto snorted and unzipped his jacket. He grimaced when he found the remaining rice cakes smooshed into a bagful of crumbs, but his white-dotted box was perfectly intact. "Besides, we won't fail unless the bastard dies or some other team catches us."

"What the—how did you get that?" the girl squawked.

"I stole it from a Waterfall team," he grinned smugly. Then his expression turned worried. "…This is the one we needed, right?"

"Yes," she nodded and pulled out there original box—identical to the one that Naruto had acquired except for the black circle painted on the lid.

"Cool, let's go then!" he declared and lurched to his feet—

—And then collapsed back to the dirt as his knees gave out.

"…As soon as my legs start working again."

* * *

As Team Eight jogged towards the tower, both necessary boxes in hand, Hinata kept sneaking glances at Kiba. For a few days now he'd been acting strangely. He'd act like he had stomach aches, but when asked he would deny being sick. He was more short-tempered than usual and recently his personality had shifted to downright nasty. Even Akamaru seemed wary of him now and no longer rode on Kiba's head or in his jacket.

Shino didn't seem terribly concerned. He weathered Kiba's outbursts like he always did and focused purely on the task at hand. And since they were so close to completing this part of the Trials, Hinata was inclined to let it slide, too…

But…when they'd tangled with a pair of Kusa-nin who'd lost a team member and was desperately looking for her, she'd seen something. She'd had her Byakugan active so that she could steal their box while Kiba and Shino fought them. In the process, she'd gotten a look at Kiba and saw something shadowy and indistinct lurking near the heart of his chakra coils.

She'd wanted to take a second, more purposeful look, but it would be an invasion of his privacy. One of the last things she ever wanted to do was use her _kekkei genkai_ irresponsibly. And to ask him for his permission to look…it was just too embarrassing. She would never be able to get the words out before he brushed her off.

It had only been a glance, and her eyes weren't terribly skilled, so it probably hadn't been anything.

Probably.

Hinata glanced over at him again and noticed his pale skin and the dark circles under his eyes and bit her lip worriedly.

_Kiba-kun…_

_

* * *

_

When Sasuke woke up, the first thing he saw was a blue shoulder, a white collar, and a patch of spiky yellow hair. There was a pair of arms looped behind his knees, holding him up against a back. He smelled stale sweat, unwashed hair, dirt, leaves, and the faintest scent of ramen broth.

Naruto was carrying him.

Sasuke immediately struggled free of Naruto's grasp and landed on the ground in an undignified heap.

"Sasuke-kun, you're alive!" Sakura cried in relief.

"Great," Naruto sighed. "He was getting really heavy."

The Uchiha propped himself up on his elbows and glanced around warily. He didn't recognize his surroundings at all. Judging from the angle of the meager rays of sunlight that pierced the forest canopy it was sometime in the early afternoon.

"Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked, getting right in his face.

"Fine," Sasuke grunted and leaned away from her, ignoring the dull throbbing from his bite wound. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost three days now," she said, giving him a bit more space but still looking very worried.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in dismay. Being out for three days meant that there was only two days to complete this part of the Trials. That left a much smaller possibility of success. If they didn't locate a team with the right box quickly—

"Relax, Bastard!" Naruto snickered. "We've got the boxes that we need and we're almost to the tower. All we have to do is get there without getting caught and we're set!"

"Right," Sakura nodded. "So let's hurry. Can you walk, Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha boy was slow to react to her question. He was stuck on the fact that he'd been unconscious for days and his two teammates had somehow acquired a second box of the correct type without him. The orange-clad moron and annoying fangirl had done everything while he'd done nothing but be a load to be carried.

"Sasuke-kun?"

With a growl Sasuke staggered to his feet.

"Let's go already."

He failed to notice how deeply relieved both of his teammates sounded as they agreed with him.

_How can I ever tell my father about this?_

_

* * *

_

Kenjiro sat in the Dragon Room of the Hidden Lotus Teahouse and sipped at his small glass of sake, hoping that the sweet rice wine would dull the almost constant headache he now suffered with. The elders of his clan were seething with what he'd done—unleashing a young, defiant girl who had proven to have very bad judgment. And the leaders of the only two clans that he could call his allies weren't any happier.

"Are you mad, Kenjiro?" Hoshitama Morimaru, head of Clan Hoshitama (and his grandfather-in-law) barked, knitting together his bushy eyebrows in displeasure.

"This reeks more of the impulsive act of a youngster," Furukawa Saito, head of Clan Furukawa, snorted. "One of the Uzumaki elders should've come out of retirement instead of letting a fox so young ascend to leadership."

Of course Saito would have that opinion. He was over three hundred years old, a survivor of the Great Slaughter, while Kenjiro was barely seventy. And Morimaru was likely to agree with Saito, being almost two hundred, himself.

"…I think the question isn't whether I am mad, but are you?" Kenjiro countered. "Do you honestly believe your strategy of slowly trying to wrest control away from Clan Kurohi will succeed? And succeed in time to do any real good?"

"There is no other realistic option," Saito replied. "Now call that loose cannon you call your daughter back before she succeeds in making us truly extinct."

"I know my great-granddaughter has her problems, but please don't call her that, Saito," Morimaru muttered with a frown.

"Considering what she's already done, there are far worse things that I could call her," Saito retorted.

The lines in Morimaru's face deepened, but he didn't say anything in response.

Kenjiro refilled his glass and swirled the liquid around for a moment before tossing it back.

"'There is no other realistic option'…" the Uzumaki leader repeated and locked eyes with the white-haired Saito. "Is that what all the old clan leaders thought as the Kyuubi no Yoko dug our race's collective grave with his madness and murder and they stood by and did nothing?"

"Don't you dare judge us—you whose _parents_ weren't even a sparkle in the eye at the time!" Saito hissed, his human face reddening with rage. "How were we supposed to foresee that the humans would be too stupid and petty to bother discerning a guilty fox from an innocent one?"

"The Kyuubi no Yoko nearly toppled several important countries' governments through murders and intrigues and you see their response as an overreaction?" Kenjiro spat. "You think that they would care about our guilt or innocence when the stability of the entire continent hung in the balance, and all they saw of us was what the Kyuubi and his cronies did?"

"No one clan could go up against him and his followers!" Saito protested. "And no clans trusted one another enough to form an alliance against him. There was nothing to do but hope that the humans were strong enough to deal with him." The Furukawa leader chuckled bitterly. "And, unfortunately, they were…"

"Keh, leaving the humans to clean up our mess," Kenjiro grimaced in disgust. "Perhaps we deserved what happened—"

"The Kyuubi no Yoko was just as much the fault of the humans as he was ours," Saito snapped. "In fact, our only contribution to the Kyuubi's crimes is that we did nothing to stop him once he started. His vendetta against the human race is completely their own creation."

"Can we please stop casting blame?" Morimaru sighed, removing his spectacles to polish them on his sleeve. "It accomplishes nothing."

"Very true," Kenjiro agreed. "Casting blame and burying your heads in the sand while Clan Kurohi runs rampant accomplishes nothing good at all. That mongrel clan looks to be gearing up for something devious. I personally think they aim to start a war, but when or with whom I can't begin to guess. It may be rash and reckless, but I've made my choice. Feel free to join me in throwing my clan at the Hokage's mercy or stand aside and wait, I don't care. I can't stand aside and allow Clan Kurohi's actions tarnish my clan's name outside of this village in the human realm. I won't."

Saito glowered at him, like an angry parent disgusted by a child's selfish behavior. Morimaru looked worried and fearful while trying to project anger as he fidgeted with the white tip of his bushy tail. Kenjiro used his chopsticks to select a piece of sushi from the large tray laid in the middle of the table and munched on it.

"Um…if I may bring up another subject?" Morimaru asked, his quiet voice loud in the still, tense air.

"Please, change the subject," Saito growled, and skewered a sushi roll with his own chopsticks.

"Have either of your clans had young pups disappear?" the Hoshitama leader asked.

"No," Saito said with a concerned frown.

Kenjiro shook his head and leaned forward. "Why do you ask?"

"A few days ago, one of my great-grandnephew's young sons went out to play and never came home," Morimaru explained. "We've asked the neighboring clans for help, but haven't gotten much response. He still hasn't turned up, dead or alive."

That was very troubling. Children were the most precious thing in their village. Every new child born was another life towards their goal of restoring their race and a more certain future. If a child of any clan went missing, the neighbors should be just as eager to help as the clan that had lost the child in the first place.

…As Kenjiro thought of what clan districts neighbored Clan Hoshitama's, he remembered that one was Clan Kurohi.

_I don't like this at all…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto grinned wearily as he followed his teammates into the cool, dark entrance at the base of the tower at the heart of the Forest of Death. They'd made it and as soon as they did whatever they had to do with the boxes to complete this phase of the Trials they would be out of here! Even though he felt exhausted, this success had him feeling giddy.

It hadn't been easy. The path they'd taken to the tower had been blocked by a creepy-looking Ame-nin team. To get past them without risking their hard won prizes, Naruto had generated a trio of _kage bunshin_ and transformed two of them into his teammates. To insure that they lasted long enough for Team Seven to make it to safety, Naruto had had to pump a lot of chakra into them so that Sasuke had almost had to carry him. But it had worked like a charm.

The blond boy stumbled after Sasuke and Sakura until they came to a massive set of double doors that halted their progress. There were no handles on the doors, just a sunken circle in one of the panels, and no matter how Naruto pulled and shoved at them they wouldn't budge. When he gave up on that, he turned to see his teammates standing by a table set off to the side.

"Is there something over there that'll open the doors?" Naruto asked as he trudged over to them.

Sasuke flashed him an irritated look, but didn't answer.

All Sakura said was: "Maybe."

Naruto pouted and looked at the table. There were two circles of seals painted on the tabletop—one with a white circle painted in the middle, and the other with a black circle. After tracing her fingertips over the designs, Sakura pulled out both of their boxes and matched up the circles on the lids with the ones set in the table.

_POP! POP!_

The seal papers that sealed the lids shut abruptly popped off. Sakura reached for the black box and started to open it—

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "Didn't that crazy proctor lady say not to open the boxes?"

"This table is set up specifically to open these boxes, idiot," Sasuke grumbled. "And since there's no clear way to open the doors and advance, there must be something in these boxes that will get the doors to open."

"Hmm," Sakura hummed as she pulled a black wavy half-circle with a white dot on the fatter end. It was flat and metallic with some ridges and bumps on the unpainted side. When she opened the white box, she pulled out the same thing only it was white with a little black dot. The pink-haired girl fit the two things together to form a full circle, glanced over at the door, and smiled broadly. "I've got it!"

She hurried over to the door and stood in front of the sunken circle in the door. Sakura shoved the two black and white pieces into the hole and twisted them until there was an audible click. As she backed up, the completed yin-yang symbol spun around a few times and then the double doors slowly creaked inwards.

"Cool," Naruto breathed in awe as the way opened for them.

When the doors had completely opened, the crazy purple-haired woman in the trench coat walked towards them, flanked by a pair of chuunin.

"Hey there, maggots!" she grinned crookedly. "You made it, and with time to spare too! Lucky you. Until the test is over for everyone, you're stuck here. But don't worry; this tower has everything you need from rooms to sleep in to food to eat and all the good essentials in-between, so enjoy it while you can! Now, any of you need a doctor before we give you the grand tour?"

"Sasuke got an evil hickey from some snake-freak Orochimaru guy," Naruto announced cheerfully. "Does he need to get a shot for that?"

He'd meant it as a joke. But from the way that the bored-looking proctor suddenly went deathly pale, he figured that she didn't find it the least bit funny. She rushed over to Sasuke and quickly found the creepy black mark at the base of the Uchiha's neck.

"Shit!" she cursed. "Take him downstairs," she said, shoving Sasuke towards one of her chuunin helpers. "You alert the ANBU," she told the other and then sprinted off towards the forest. "I'm going after him!"

"Anko, wait!" one of the chuunin shouted, but she was already gone.

Cursing, both chuunin dashed off to complete their tasks, one taking Sasuke with him.

That left Naruto and Sakura completely alone at the gates.

"Sasuke-kun…" the girl mumbled worriedly, her green eyes fixed in the direction that her crush had been dragged off to.

Naruto shifted nervously from foot to foot before he latched to an idea.

"I'm hungry," he complained and started off towards a set of stairs leading upwards that he saw. "Let's go find some food!"

"Naruto!" the girl squeaked, "hey, wait!"

* * *

Minato was glad to have a few days off duty. He had a lot to think about and he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on his work. So he sat in his kitchen and sipped at a cup of coffee and looked at a handful of photographs while he thought.

After a fitful night's sleep, he'd gone back to the Hokage as soon as possible to find out more about Naruto. Hiruzen had been expecting him and patiently went over everything that was known about the boy. He provided the boy's official team photograph (seeing that Kakashi was Naruto's teacher made him smile), described his son's abilities, and did his best to answer all of Minato's questions.

_"…So, you say that his animal form more closely resembles a fox than a wolf?"_

_ "That is how it's been described to me. I really need to arrange for it to be photographed so that ANBU won't mistake him for some other creature."_

_ "And…he smells more like a fox than a wolf?"_

_ "That is what Kakashi tells me."_

_ "So…could that…was he the odd fox-like creature I described in my debriefing?"_

_ "Yes, unless there was some other checkers-playing slowly-dying werewolf skulking around Konoha…"_

He finished off his cup of coffee and sighed. He regretted that he hadn't tried to speak with Naruto before. But he'd been so afraid that his attempts at communication might not be understood (he wasn't sure if foxes were closely enough related to understand him the way that dogs could) and could frighten away the only company that he'd had, that he hadn't risked trying.

_So many missed opportunities,_ he sighed. _If only I'd known that Kushina was a Kitsune it might've crossed my mind that he was Naruto…_

_ …But I know now, and as soon as he gets out of the Forest of Death I'll have plenty of time to make up for it._

A knock at his kitchen window distracted him and he looked up to see the feline-masked Yamato perched on the sill.

"Suit up, you're needed."


	24. Lost Children

**Chapter 23**

_Lost Children_

Sasuke did his best not to fidget as he waited with the chuunin in some dimly lit chamber that was down several flights of stairs under the tower in the Forest of Death. He wasn't sure if the space had been a cave modified into a room or a room that had been constructed to look like a cave. The Uchiha didn't like being down there at all, but was determined not to show it.

He didn't see what the bid deal was about the mark on his neck. It throbbed awfully and since he'd woken up he'd had a bit of trouble molding chakra properly, but other than that it hadn't done a thing to him. So was it really necessary to drag him down to this almost-dungeon?

And what was going to happen to him now?

The radio in the chuunin's hand crackled and the man brought it to his ear to listen. Whatever he heard through the static appeared to relieve him. He hooked the radio to his belt and looked expectantly towards one of the darkened entryways.

A pair of ANBU materialized out of the shadows, silent as ghosts. The only parts of that that weren't covered by black cloth or white armor were their upper arms where their tattoos were inked, and the hair on the tops of their heads. One had a red-tinged feline mask and brown hair, and the other had a black-marked canine mask and blond hair.

Sasuke couldn't help but shiver a bit. ANBU always creeped him out on the rare occasion that he saw any of them. They were so quiet and the masks that they wore were deceptively innocent-looking.

"ANBU-san," the chuunin greeted with a bow. "Thank you for arriving so promptly. "This is the boy afflicted with the curse seal."

_Curse seal?_ Sasuke thought with a hint of panic. _What sort of curse?_

"Has the curse seal been activated?" the canine-masked ANBU asked.

The Uchiha boy was struck by how similar the masked man's hair was to Naruto's—it was just a touch darker and somewhat longer. The mask the ANBU wore was just as unnerving as any other ANBU mask. The black moon crescent on the brow and the dark eye holes felt horribly ominous.

And then he realized that the ANBU had been asking him—not the chuunin—that question.

"…I don't know," Sasuke muttered.

"That would be a 'no' then," the elite shinobi replied. "Show it to me."

Sasuke hesitantly tugged at the collar of his shirt and turned so that the man could see the mark on the back of his shoulder. The ANBU ran a gloved fingertip over it, and then probed it with a bit of chakra. That hurt and the boy reflexively threw a punch to make him stop, but the masked man easily caught his fist and didn't stop probing until he was satisfied of something.

"You're lucky, Uchiha-san," the ANBU remarked. "Had the seal activated even once you'd be much worse off than you are."

Shock at this information kept Sasuke quiet until after the ANBU had given his cat-masked companion some instructions about seal paper, kunai, and a sealing circle.

"What do you mean by that?" the young Uchiha asked, unable to keep the fearful strain out of his voice. He reached over his shoulder and gripped at the tainted mark on his skin. "What is this thing?"

"It is exactly what it sounds like: a curse seal," the canine ANBU said as he started to trace a circle on the floor with one of his blades. "It corrupts the victim with every activation—it makes them faster and stronger…at the price of their sanity and self-control."

Sasuke chewed at the inside of his cheek. _It could make me stronger and faster?_

"Don't you even think it," the blond ANBU snapped, startling the Uchiha. "There are five known cases of ninja surviving being branded with Orochimaru's curse seal, and of those five there is only one still alive. The other four had to be eliminated due to seal-induced insanity. They became violent, paranoid, delusional, attacked their own comrades for no reason, and one even killed a client. It is a curse because the price is far too steep…and it can never be removed, as far as anyone can tell."

"If it can't be removed, then what are you doing?" Sasuke demanded.

"I will be sealing it away so that it cannot spontaneously activate when you suffer any extreme emotional disturbance," the ANBU explained calmly as he took some seal papers from his friend, sliced his bare arm, and started writing symbols in his own blood. "However, this seal that I will give you is dependent on your own will. If you give in to the temptation to use the curse's power, my seal will not be able to stop you. And should you try to exceed your limits and expend more chakra than you have, the seal will also fail, allowing the curse to corrupt you and taint your mind…if it doesn't kill you outright."

The genin chewed this over as the ANBU continued to work. After tying the marked seal papers to kunai handles and arranging them around the circle on the ground, he had Sasuke take his shirt off and then painted more markings directly on the boy's skin. It was creepy and felt disgusting, but Sasuke did his best to follow instructions and hold still. He would endure this if it meant keeping himself sane and free of taint.

"Alright," the blond ANBU said as he finished his preparations and waved the chuunin and other ANBU back. "Do your best to hold still and not fight what I'm doing." He moved his hands through a few seal positions. "This may hurt just a little…"

* * *

Anko darted through the forest, her face a mask of determination. She probably should wait for back-up, but there was no time and it just wasn't her style. Her old master was slithering about and she wasn't going to let him do the things that he'd done to her to some innocent baby-genin.

When she'd been young, she'd believed in Orochimaru's human half—that it was strong and good and kept his reptile demon nature in check. He was the student of the Hokage, one of the Sannin—one of only three ninja who had survive Hanzo the Salamander's attempt to turn a border dispute between _Hi no Kuni_ and _Ame no Kuni_ into a full-scale war. Orochimaru-sensei had been her role model and her master and her everything. No matter how harsh the training he set for her, she would endure it for him and excel.

She'd believed in him all the way up until he'd gone rogue from Konoha, dragged her through three countries while on the run, and then used her as a guinea pig for his curse seal formula. Anko had barely survived that experience, and the side effects of the not-quite-perfected seal had damaged her memory. As she was no longer useful to him, he'd abandoned her to wander the wilds and die.

Only Namikaze Minato's rescue of her confused young self had allowed her to survive. If only he hadn't gone and turned into a werewolf the very next year. She hadn't had time to grow up and show her appreciation for him by seducing him away from whatever bland girlfriend he'd had at the time.

The scent of blood and something foul caught her attention and brought her dash to a halt. Anko honed in on the source, expecting her ex-sensei to at least be the cause, if not at the heart of it. She wasn't disappointed.

By the banks of one of the two streams that ran through the training ground, she found a Hoshi-genin team…or, at least what was left of it. Only the girl on the team was left alive. Her two male teammates were dead. One lay curled up in a ball, covered in slashes and his own blood. The other was sprawled on his back with a kunai driven deep into his chest and his guts exploded outwards. The girl cowered several feet away, tears rolling down her cheeks as she trembled silently.

"Hey," Anko grunted, crouching down by the girl and grasping her shoulders to get her attention. "Hey, what happened?"

"Something was wrong with him," the girl genin murmured, her watering eyes distant and unfocused. "It happened the first day and it got worse and worse. He wasn't himself. We tried to help him…we tried to help him…we tried…"

"What happened?" Anko repeated, more firmly.

"He killed Ken," the girl whispered hoarsely. "He tried to kill me…but I killed him first." She brushed back her dark curly hair with a blood-splattered hand. "…Something came out of him and tried to get me."

Anko leaned in closer. "What came out of him?"

"It was black and terrible and it smelled like fish oil," the genin murmured, her unfocused eyes drifting off to the side. "It exploded out of his guts and moved like…an amoeba. It tried to get me and I electrocuted it."

The special jounin followed the genin's gaze and noticed an ugly black puddle that wasn't water or mud. Anko, having trained in the Forest of Death fairly often and having run this section of the Trials for a few years, was familiar with all of the nasty things residing in it. She knew about the giant tigers and bears and beetles and spiders and the carnivorous plants that grew in the swampy patch and the acid-spitting lizards and the horned rabbits…but she'd never seen anything like that black puddle before.

_That's something of yours, isn't it __**sensei**__?_

_

* * *

_

Jiraiya sat on one of Uzu's sea cliffs and watched as the changing tides stirred up a whirlpool just offshore. It was amazing to watch, especially from a safe vantage point. The white-haired shinobi wasn't terribly keen on being a boat anywhere near the watery phenomenon.

"Fancy seeing you here, Jiraiya."

The Konoha-nin turned and found his sensei's old friend, Furukawa Kaito, picking his way over the rocky terrain.

"Kaito-san?"

He recognized his sensei's old friend, and one of Uzu's former liaisons to Konoha. Furukawa Kaito had lived in the Leaf Village for years as a symbol of the treaty between their two ninja forces. Kaito had retired and returned to Uzu a good decade before Kushina's arrival, and as he was almost ten years older than the Hokage Jiraiya had thought that the man would be too frail to be hiking around outdoors like this.

_…But he's from Uzu_, Jiraiya realized. _Everyone in Uzushiogakure lives a long time…because they're Kitsune._

"So Hiruzen has sent one of his precious students all the way out here to see what our village is doing…" Kaito murmured, fingering his mangled ear.

"Do you think he would ignore what he hears and sees?" Jiraiya countered.

"No, no of course not," Kaito sighed and looked out to sea in the direction that Jiraiya had moments earlier. "I was just thinking out loud. …So, how have you been?"

"Well enough," Jiraiya replied, watching the man from the corner of his eyes. _Considering the current state of things and how Orochimaru is a rogue mad scientist and Tsunade-hime has abandoned the village and all…_

"Good, good…" Kaito was silent for a few minutes before speaking again. "I suppose Clan Uzumaki has been in touch with you."

"Yes," Jiraiya nodded. "They hold themselves apart from Uzushio, it seems. What about your clan?"

"Clan Furukawa and Clan Hoshitama also disagree with the current direction of our village, we're just more cautious about it."

The Sannin raised an eyebrow at the older man's tone. "Oh?"

"My grandfather is being far too conservative in his actions in my opinion," Kaito explained. "I understand his fear about what may happen should some of our village's secrets be exposed, but the things that Clan Kurohi is doing…" He shook his head. "Something drastic needs to be done."

"And something drastic is being done."

Both of them turned to see another man approaching them. Jiraiya had no idea who he was. Kaito, however, apparently was at least acquainted with him.

"Kenjiro-sama," Kaito greeted with a slight bow.

The man, Kenjiro, barely nodded in acknowledgment of the greeting, his gray eyes fixed on Jiraiya.

"You are Jiraiya of the Sannin?" At Jiraiya's nod, he continued. "I am Uzumaki Kenjiro. You won't be able to speak with Mito-san any longer, so I'll be sending one of my sons to meet with you when necessary."

"Has something happened to dear old Mito?" Jiraiya inquired with a slight frown.

"She's gone on vacation," Kenjiro said.

"Vacation?" Kaito muttered in disbelief. "At a time like this?"

"It's the first time since she became clan gardener that she's requested any vacation time," the Uzumaki man responded. "After over a century and a half of tireless service I wasn't about to reject her request."

"Uzumaki Kushina can't be my contact?" Jiraiya asked.

"My daughter is on assignment," Kenjiro answered.

The Konoha-nin narrowed his eyes slightly. So this was Kushina's father, and Naruto's grandfather. This was the person who had abandoned Naruto in the foster system and terrified him into keeping secrets.

"So she's really out of the village," Kaito said. "How unhappy are your clan elders?"

"All five of them want to skin me alive, but they can't because they're too lazy or cowardly to take over my position as clan head, and there's no one else in the clan qualified to replace me." Kenjiro spat on the ground. "Miserable old beasts the lot of them!"

"How much power do they have?" Jiraiya wondered.

"On paper, nothing," Kenjiro told him. "In practice, their ability to annoy and pressure give them a measure of clout."

"It's even worse when other clans back up your elders," Kaito agreed. "That thing with your illegitimate grandson was a nightmare. Poor kid…"

"You have no idea," Kenjiro grumbled sourly.

"Oh?" Jiraiya feigned ignorance. "What happened?"

"…The boy…was born a werewolf," Kaito hesitantly replied. "They wanted the child destroyed, for obvious reasons. It's a hard thing to do, no matter who the victim is, but a child…a child of your child…"

"Even the compromise was ugly," Kenjiro grunted.

"Compromise?" Kaito blinked. "What compromise?"

_Does the village not know that Naruto is still alive?_ Jiraiya wondered.

"Well, it was good meeting you, Jiraiya-san," Kenjiro said, completely ignoring Kaito's question. "I hope you enjoy your stay in our country. And should you come across any little talking foxes, please bring them back to the village—two children from Hoshitama and one from my own clan have recently gone missing and their mothers are frantic."

With a polite nod, Uzumaki Kenjiro departed. Furukawa Kaito hurried after him, still wanting to know about the compromise. Jiraiya watched them go until they disappeared over a hill, and then he turned back to the offshore whirlpool that was now slowly disintegrating.

_I really wish I could be sure of what is going on here…_

_

* * *

_

Kurohi Yuudai lazily twirled a ceremonial dagger with his hand as he waited for Orochimaru to appear. The current rendezvous point was one of the snake's old hidden labs—an abandoned ANBU safe house and storage depot that had been left fallow for decades before the half-demon had refurbished it. After his disgrace, Konoha had discovered it and cleaned it out, destroying whatever they couldn't easily remove. But they left the mostly underground building itself completely intact, and failed to make use of it or keep watch on it. Being half a day's hard traveling from Konoha, it was the closest secure meeting place available.

Yuudai sat on a chair—the only piece of furniture left—with two of his most trusted Shadows waiting with him. Underneath the rickety wooden chair was a large basket with a lid. Whenever he heard muffled sounds start to slip out of it, he'd kick it lightly (sometimes not-so-lightly) with his heel until it quieted.

A scuffling sound caught his interest, but it only turned out to be a crow Tengu. The black-feathered demon hop-fluttered to where Yuudai sat and presented him with a letter. One of the Shadows removed a cheap bracelet, a worthless bit of costume jewelry that glittered with numerous glass beads, and tossed it to the child-sized creature. Delighted with its pay, the Tengu cawed an ugly song of joy and hurried off to add its treasure to its precious stash. It didn't care for the monetary worth of the thing, just that it sparkled.

The letter was from Kasshoku. To make sure that Yuudai stayed in the loop, Kasshoku had been instructed to send two letters every time he made a report. One letter was mailed to Uzushiogakure and the other to a post office box in one of the larger villages located near Konoha. An old Shadow had been stationed in that town to act as a civilian and check the post office box. Whenever a letter arrived there, he was to get a Tengu to carry it to Yuudai, wherever he was.

The navy-haired rokubi skimmed the letter, easily translating its light code and ignoring the nonsense bits that made it look like a personal letter to a friend. So far Kasshoku's mission was going slowly, but well. He'd met all the major clan heads and some of the most influential minor ones and would soon meet with Orochimaru's mole. But one bit of news really caught Yuudai's attention.

Uzumaki Naruto could very well be alive and in Konoha.

There were two uses for this information that immediately sprung to his mind. It could further discredit Clan Uzumaki, which had supposedly destroyed the child years ago (now they would be known as dishonorable liars in addition to being sexually depraved wolf-lovers). And the boy could be just the tool he needed to get the defiant Uzumaki Kushina to be his mate.

His desire to have the fiery vixen as his wife had no romantic basis. There was no place for romance or true love in mating for Kitsune anymore. All that mattered were good genetic matches and healthy, powerful blood lines. For all that the Uzumaki were fools and slaves to promises, they had a lot of power in their blood and Kushina was the best source of that power. And there was the added bonus of the challenge of taming the wild woman and shaping her into something obedient and loyal—something that greatly appealed to him.

The only obstacle to acquiring the pawn needed to win him the vixen was the Uchiha Clan's desire to kill the boy. If the boy died, he couldn't blackmail Kushina into accepting his marriage proposal…but at least the boy's existence would still count against Clan Uzumaki. However, should the boy avoid assassination or survive the attempt on his life…

_As soon as this meeting is over, I need to send Kasshoku instructions to kidnap the boy if he can manage it without upsetting his in-roads with the Uchiha or getting caught by Konoha._

Twenty minutes later, Orochimaru finally arrived. The half-demon almost seemed to slither as he moved, and he looked rather annoyed to see that Yuudai had claimed the only chair available. Yuudai rose and politely greeted his reptilian ally.

"I hope your adventures in the Forest of Death were enjoyable and fruitful," Yuudai remarked after the necessary greetings were exchanged.

"Very much so," Orochimaru hissed, licking his lips. "It's a pity that I wasn't able to stay for the whole test…"

"Indeed, a pity," Yuudai agreed. "Hopefully my social saboteur will work quickly so that you might return to Konoha sooner."

"Hopefully," Orochimaru echoed, his serpentine eyes growing sharp as they drifted over the basket tucked under the chair. "Do you have something for me?"

"I do," Yuudai smiled. With a gesture, his Shadows picked up the basket and held it between them before the half-snake. "I know that you were very dissatisfied with the first Kitsune that we provided you with. Now we have finally acquired a few more."

He lifted the lid on the basket to reveal three young foxes. Two were about the size of a cat and the third was about ten pounds heavier. One was bright pink in color, the second was a pale blue, and the third and largest one was a shocking shade of green. All three were just old enough to be able to play outside without direct supervision, but too young to have any skill at shape-shifting. And all of them were muzzled so that they couldn't speak or make any sound beyond muffled whines and whimpers.

"One male," he tapped the cowering blue fox on the head, "and two females, aged between two and five years. They should be more resilient than that last subject, and if you're patient enough to wait for them to mature you can brainwash them into being your servants or breed them. Considering how important offspring are to an endangered species, these were not easy to come by. Please accept them."

Orochimaru looked tempted to drool as he reached out to remove the tiny pink fox child and examine it. Being so young, the only visible Kitsune trait that it possessed was an unusual coat color (only age and training would cause new tails to grow). That was why the three children stolen were of such bright colors—to prove that they were Kitsune. When the half-demon experimentally removed the girl's muzzle, she immediately started to cry.

"Mama!" she yelped loudly. "Mama, I wanna go home! Mama! Mama—"

"Noisy, aren't they," Orochimaru hissed as he put the muzzle back on and dumped her back into the basket with the other two.

"It's why we kept them muzzled long after it was necessary," Yuudai replied. "Are they more to your satisfaction than the last one?"

"Yes," the hanyou nodded with a wicked smile. He closed the basket and accepted it from the Shadows. "These subjects are much better. Your village proves its worth once again."

They traded flatteries for a while longer, and then Orochimaru departed with his new pets. Yuudai smirked in satisfaction even as he heard the puppies whimper while they were carried away. They weren't his children, they weren't of his clan. With how young and sheltered they were, they would be unable to tell Orochimaru anything useful about where they'd come from. They were necessary sacrifices culled from clans whose allegiance he knew was not to their cause.

Yuudai fingered his earring and then left the old lab with his Shadows to write Kasshoku some new instructions.

* * *

Kushina really hated how far away Konoha was from Uzu. She also really hated how temperamental the weather could be in the region when summer started to turn to fall. The red head sat by the window in a small roadside inn and glowered at the heavy rain that had made her stop and wait.

_Rain, rain, go away, come again after I've made it to Konoha, damn it!_

While she stared out the window in a sour mood, she fingered her necklace. She really hadn't needed the thing except when she was in Konoha, but ever since she'd received it she'd always worn it out of habit. The crystal pendant and the seal-marked beads framing it were specially made by Clan Hoshitama to prevent spontaneous transformation, the generation of _kitsune-bi_, and cancelled out the flavor of fox and demon in her scent.

It had originally been made for her mother, so all the excuses about why she wouldn't take it of that she'd told to her Konoha friends hadn't really been lies.

She wondered if she should've written a letter to someone in Konoha like Mikoto, warning that she was coming. But moving at ninja speed, even hampered with bad weather, she was likely to beat her own letter to the village. Still, she debated it in her head, perhaps out of guilt of not responding to some of the letters she'd been sent by old friends over the years. If she'd tried to answer them, it was likely they'd have been so heavily censored that she might as well have mailed black sheets of paper.

Kushina grimaced and turned away from the window and back to her cheap dinner. The rain probably wouldn't let up until late in the night or early in the morning, so she had a while to wait. But first thing in the morning, she'd be on the road again and working to make up lost time.

She needed to deliver the scroll and letter that her father had given her to the Hokage. Then she needed to find Naruto, have a good cry, and then give him a good long talk. And if she found time after that, she hoped to reconnect with old friends.

Even though she'd always had to hide part of herself while in Konoha, now that she finally had the opportunity to go back it felt like she was going home.

_Hold on, Naruto, I'll be there soon…_


	25. Fragile Soul

**Chapter 24**

_Fragile Soul_

At noon on the fifth day, the test was over. Several ANBU swept through the Forest of Death to locate and escort out the surviving losers. Those who had made it into the Tower with the two boxes and all of their team members within the time limit were herded together to hear what would be expected of them next.

Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement as Team Seven followed the other early-finishing teams down a few flights of stairs. Getting out of the forest early had let him shower and get good food and sleep in a real bed. Thoroughly refreshed and energized, he was more than ready to face the next challenge.

Sasuke and Sakura were more subdued. The Uchiha hadn't said much after he'd been returned to them and had spent most of his time sleeping. Sakura spent most of her time fussing over Sasuke, annoying the heck out of Sasuke, and it seemed that she'd forgotten all about how Naruto had been possessed in the Forest of Death (much to Naruto's relief).

They were led into a large room made of concrete with a high ceiling and a pit sunk into the floor, leaving a few feet of walkway all the way around. It appeared to be an underground arena of sorts, hinting at some kind of combat test. At one end of the fighting field was a large statue of a pair of hands making the "ram" seal, and high up on the walls was a large, dark television screen. The chuunin overseeing them directed all of the teams down into the arena where they stood in lines according to their squads.

"Was this where they took you when we got here?" Naruto whispered to Sasuke.

"No," Sasuke growled in a tone that discouraged any further conversation.

Another set of doors opened and admitted the Hokage, a pair of ANBU bodyguards, and several other jounin. They took up spectator positions all around the rail, while two people descended the stairs to talk with them. The proctor, Anko, also appeared along with a sickly-looking man wearing a sword strapped to his back. Anko looked grim, or just cranky; Naruto really couldn't tell. She counted the teams and then really looked pissed.

"I was hoping the forest would thin you out a bit more," she snorted. "Oh well… Okay you brats, congratulations, you've survived! Now only one trial separates you from the big event, so listen up!"

She stepped back and the ill man with the sword shifted closer, muffling a cough.

"I am Gekko Hayate," the man wheezed, "and I will be the proctor for this section of the Trials. From this point forward, your squads are dissolved—it is every genin for themselves. The trial with be a tournament where the computer"—he gestured to the dark screen—"will select two names at random and those two genin will fight. The loser will be eliminated and the winner will proceed to the final trial. Any genin who feels that they cannot continue may withdraw now."

A single hand went up and Naruto blinked when he recognized the Kabuto guy that had been so free with information at the start of the first trial.

"Is it alright if I stay and watch the matches?" the genin with glasses asked politely.

"Sure," Hayate coughed and waved him back up to the observation level.

When no other genin forfeited, the sickly proctor continued.

"The matches will continue until one participant is unable to continue fighting, one forfeits, or I stop the match. Killing isn't forbidden, but it is not encouraged. Observers may cheer on a favorite, but they cannot help or give advice or they will be disqualified." He paused to cough for a bit and then looked over the collection of genin. "Any questions?"

No one spoke up and he gestured for them to go back up the stairs.

"The computer will pick the first names in five minutes," he told them. "Be ready."

When Naruto climbed the stairs, he spotted Kakashi among the adult spectators and rushed over to stand by him. Kiba's team and Shikamaru and Chouji's team had made it through, too, and clustered around their senseis—a woman with black hair and red eyes for Kiba, and a man with a beard and a cigarette for Shikamaru and Chouji. Bushy-browed Lee's team had also defeated the forest and joined up with their sensei…who could've been Lee's father for how creepily similar they looked. The Oto team that he'd terrorized with Kyuubi-powered skulked over to a creepy older teen (or perhaps a short adult) with white hair, red dots over his eyes, and red markings under his eyes. Kabuto's teammates stood by him, but no sensei stood with them. And the Taki team that Naruto had robbed was also sensei-less…and the kunoichi seemed to recognize him with the way that she was glaring at him from across the room.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto grinned, focusing on his masked teacher. "Come to watch us kick butt?"

"Sure," the jounin agreed, crinkling his eye a bit in amusement. He glanced over his three students. "So, you made it through with time to spare?"

"Mm-hm," Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, 'cause we're awesome!" Naruto cheered.

Sasuke said nothing.

"Good," Kakashi said, looking even more amused. "After the tournament I'd like to hear all about it."

Naruto felt a prickle along his spine. _All about it?_

If they shared all their stories all at once, Naruto would have to remember to lie about how he'd tricked the Taki-nin for their extra box and then tell Kakashi-sensei the truth later. Then there was that creepy not-Kusa-nin, Orochimaru, with the snakes and whatever he'd done to Sasuke. With how Anko had reacted to hearing about the evil hickey, it didn't seem like Kakashi-sensei would be much happier learning about it. And then there was the Kyuubi…

A digital ping distracted Naruto from his worries and he looked to see the screen flashing through a blur of names to determine the first match-up. The blond boy immediately shelved his earlier thoughts in favor of getting excited about whether or not he would be first up. When he was chosen, who would he fight?

After what felt like forever, the computer settled on: _Uchiha Sasuke VS Akado Yoroi._

"Lucky bastard," Naruto pouted. "Hurry up and beat him so that I can get a turn!"

"Good luck, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said.

"Do your best," Kakashi advised. "And be careful. I heard about that little souvenir you picked up."

"Hn," was Sasuke's only response as he headed for the stairs to face off against one of Kabuto's mysterious teammates.

Naruto hung on to the railing and stared down into the arena, tense with anticipation.

_Sasuke had better make this a cool fight!_

_

* * *

_

Hinata stood at the railing with her teammates and sensei, her focus fading with each successive fight. With every match-up, her dread grew as she wasn't selected by the computer and her pool of possible opponents steadily shrank. And then there was Kiba…

Her canine-loving teammate hadn't seemed himself for days. When they reached the safety of the tower, she'd tried to suggest that he seek out a doctor, but he'd always brush her off. Shino had eventually joined her side, but too late as they were summoned for the preliminary tournament before either of them could persuade Kiba to do anything.

She'd peek at him out of the corner of her eye in the lulls between fights. His skin had a gray tinge to it and there were dark shadows under his bloodshot eyes. There was a foul smell on his breath—something that reminded her of rotten fish and road tar—that was strong enough for her to smell several feet away when he spoke. The Inuzuka sagged against the rail as if he was drunk and seemed quite oblivious to his small puppy that cowered anxiously by his feet.

_Kiba-kun…_

Commotion down in the arena stole Hinata's attention away from Kiba's profile to see that Shikamaru had somehow defeated his opponent, the kunoichi, Kin, from Oto. As she hadn't been paying much attention to the match, she had no idea how the Nara boy had managed it. But judging from the spectators' reactions, it had been impressive in some way.

The first battle between Sasuke and the older Konoha genin, Yoroi, had been moderately exciting, but brief. The young Uchiha had used his Sharingan to avoid Yoroi's chakra-draining technique and while dancing out of the way had employed wires to trip him up. With a few more blows, the fight was over and Sasuke was the winner.

The second battle had been even faster, and far more shocking. Shino had been pitted against the injured Oto-genin, Zaku. Hinata had wondered what had happened to the boy's arm for it to be so heavily wrapped in bandages, but mostly she'd been glad that Shino wouldn't be fighting her (if she was set against either of her teammates, she felt she'd have no choice but to forfeit). With a little misdirection and a bit of stalling, Shino had plugged up the tubes set into Zaku's arms with his bugs and when the other boy had tried to fire them his arms exploded. The hand of his injured arm was actually blown off due to being weakened from its earlier damage.

The third match had been between the older Konoha genin, Misumi, and a Taki genin, Shin. It had been rough, and rather bloody as the Taki-nin favored using long combat knives, one in each hand. Both combatants had looked evenly matched for a while, but Shin had come out on top, leaving Misumi to be carried off by medics.

After that, Sakura and Ino had been chosen by the computer to fight. Considering their rivalry from the Academy, their fight had been brutal. After Ino's attempt at ending the match quickly with her mind-control jutsu had failed, it had devolved into a seemingly endless taijutsu battle that had lasted for nearly an hour—far longer than any of the previous fights. In the end, both kunoichi managed to knock each other out with simultaneous punches…so neither proceeded on.

Another kunoichi-on-kunoichi match followed—Tenten against the Taki-nin, Hisa. Hinata had expected her cousin's teammate to easily win. The brunette had a real talent with sharp projectiles and astounding accuracy, and with several relatives in the weapons business she had access to a lot of exotic things at rock-bottom prices. But the Taki girl came out on top by using genjutsu to make Tenten aim for the wrong spot and keep her distracted just long enough for Hisa to take her out from behind.

And then Shikamaru had been chosen to fight Kin.

Now the computer screen was sifting through the names again. Hinata clutched the railing with a death grip as she watched. There weren't many names left to choose from. She could be picked along with the last Oto-nin, the last Taki-nin, Naruto of Team Seven, Kiba of her own team, Lee or—

_Hyuuga Hinata VS Hyuuga Neji_

A cold clammy feeling settled over Hinata as she stared, transfixed. She had dreaded being pitted against either of her teammates, Shino or Kiba. But this was much, much worse.

She was going to lose. Many times she'd been put up against her cousin during her training and every single time he'd defeated her with minimal effort. There was no chance at all of her winning this fight.

Yet somehow she found herself down in the arena facing him. She had no memory of leaving the rail or walking down the stairs. Perhaps Kurenai-sensei had given her a shove and she'd just done as she was told out of shock. If her teammates or sensei had said anything to her, she hadn't heard a word of it.

Neji regarded her with his usual disdain and even though she'd seen it countless times before she shivered.

"What are you doing here, Hinata-sama?" he asked coldly, his gray-white eyes flat and frigid. "Do you honestly believe that you can defeat me?"

"I-I…I…" she gasped in almost a whisper.

"We have sparred many times, and every time I have defeated you. This will not be a spar. I will fight with all my strength and hold nothing back. Do you believe you can win when I do not pull my punches?"

Hinata flinched at the truth of his words, but felt paralyzed by his white gaze.

"You are a failure, Hinata-sama. You cannot hope to overcome me. The only hope you have of victory is to use the power that the head family has over the branch family, and you cannot even bring yourself to do that, can you?" he asked contemptuously.

Tears started to prickle at the back of her eyes. No matter what the situation was, she could never bring herself to activate the seal on her cousin's forehead even though her father had taught her how to. She remembered seeing the agony that her uncle had suffered from a brief activation and she had no desire to ever see it again.

"Your weakness shames our clan," Neji said. "Forfeit now so that you do not shame the Hyuuga any more than you do _merely by existing_."

Neji was right. Her weakness harmed the Hyuuga clan's reputation of strength. Forfeiting now would be less disappointing to her father than—

"Shut up you damn bully!"

Hinata jumped and glanced up at the spectators in shock. Naruto was glaring down at Neji, his face twisted in rage. The orange-clad boy looked about ready to leap over the railing and attack her cousin.

"Hinata will kick your butt!" Naruto declared.

Her cousin was unmoved at Naruto's outburst. It was as if he didn't hear it at all. He just kept staring at Hinata, waiting.

"Forfeit or fight," Neji said. "Either way, the outcome will be the same. It is your fate as a failure."

The Hyuuga girl hesitated and then slowly raised a trembling hand.

"I…I w-withdraw."

"Alright," the proctor coughed. "Hyuuga Hinata forfeits. Hyuuga Neji is the winner."

Hinata hurried back to the stairs, her gaze fixed on the tile floor. When she reached her team she kept her eyes down. She couldn't bear to see the looks on their faces.

"That was a bad match-up," Kurenai-sensei said, resting a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "If only the computer had picked a different name…"

_It doesn't matter,_ the girl thought, hugging herself. _I'm a failure. No matter who I fought, I would lose._

She risked glancing over at Naruto, whose team happened to be on the same side of the arena, and cringed at the angry posture of his body.

_It's my fate…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto was pissed. He hated bullies. Watching Neji tear apart the already terrified Hinata was like relieving a dozen other episodes in a dozen other places, including when he'd been small and his cousins and other young relatives had gleefully tormented him by repeating the awful things that their parents said about him and his mother, and then some.

If Kakashi-sensei hadn't had a strong hand clamped on his shoulder, Naruto probably would've gone after Neji and ripped his head off.

"That jerk!" Naruto hissed, glaring daggers at the older boy who was walking calmly back up to his spot with his team. "That wasn't fair!"

"Unfortunately there are no rules against what he did," Kakashi-sensei told him quietly. "If she'd been facing a rogue hunter or an intelligent demon, her hesitation would've gotten her killed."

"But that jerk isn't a demon; he's supposed to be some kind of relative!" Naruto snarled.

"…Try not to let it get to you," his sensei sighed. "You could be up next."

"I wonder what happened for Neji to treat her that way," Sakura murmured.

"It's probably nothing," Sasuke muttered. "The Hyuuga are crazy."

"I'm gonna get that guy," Naruto growled, strangling the railing with his hands.

"You can't touch him right now, he's already had his fight," Sasuke told him.

"I'll get him later then," the blond amended. _That bastard needs to get beat up bad!_

"The Hyuuga aren't on the level of the Uchiha, but Neji is still way out of your league," Sasuke snorted.

"Doesn't matter, I'll pound 'im anyway," Naruto declared.

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke scoffed.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura said, bumping his shoulder. "You're up next."

The whiskered boy blinked and looked up at the screen.

_Naruto VS Inuzuka Kiba_

"Oh," Naruto grunted and peeled himself away from the rail to take his turn.

After weaving his way through the other spectators and taking up his spot down in the arena, he looked back up for Neji's team. Neji himself looked almost bored in his spot at the rail. However, his teammates, Lee and Tenten, kept a pointed distance from him. And the crazy Lee-like Gai-sensei looked somber and disappointed.

_I'll get you, jerk!_ he thought as his eyes passed over Neji's blank face again. _Once I come up with something, I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!_

That silent promise made, Naruto turned his attention to his opponent—

_…Kiba?_

The Inuzuka boy looked awful. He looked sick…or like he was drunk. Kiba stumbled and staggered a bit as he slowly approached. Akamaru slunk anxiously after him, little tail tucked between his legs.

"You look like crap," Naruto told him.

"You look like a cat," Kiba countered, narrowing his bloodshot eyes. "I don't like cats."

"I'm not a cat, dog-breath!" Naruto snapped.

It was a long-running insult. Kiba looked at the marks on Naruto's face and thought of cat whiskers, even though he freely admitted that Naruto didn't really smell like a feline at all. And no matter how often it got thrown at him, it still annoyed the heck out of Naruto.

"Okay," the proctor wheezed. "You know the rules. Start whenever you're ready."

"Good." Kiba's grin only heightened the impression that he was drunk. "I've been ready to kick some tail for days!"

"Whatever," Naruto snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "Send your puppy away so we can fight. I'd hate for the fluff ball to get mangled."

Kiba blinked sluggishly and then glanced down at Akamaru like he'd totally forgotten that he had a pet.

That made Naruto frown. Ever since Kiba had gotten his shaggy puppy, the pair had been inseparable. The two of them hung out with each other more than they ever did with Kiba's classmates, and somehow getting a puppy made the Inuzuka think that he was all that. Naruto had been rather annoyed at his pal's sudden jerkiness, but with Shikamaru and Chouji still willing to hang out with him he hadn't minded too much.

"…Beat it," Kiba told the little dog.

_"(K-Kiba?)"_ Akamaru yelped. _"(But…but we fight together! We're a team!)"_

"I said 'beat it'!" Kiba snarled. "I don't need your help to trounce this loser!"

_"(Kiba—)"_

"I said go!"

The little white-furred canine whimpered pitifully and slunk off to sit near one of the arena walls, trembling and looking supremely sad and pathetic.

"Geeze, I said send him away, not traumatize him," Naruto said, eying Kiba with a hint of worry. "Are you okay? You look sick."

"I'm fine!" Kiba snapped, glaring at him. "Why does everybody think I'm sick?"

"Because you look wasted?" Naruto suggested.

"I'll kill you, cat-boy!" the Inuzuka roared, sliding into a sloppy taijutsu stance. "I'll disembowel you and eat your intestines!"

"For the millionth time, I'm not a cat!" Naruto snapped.

The longer he interacted with Kiba, the more certain he was that there was something wrong with the wild boy. He looked sick. He acted sort of sick. He didn't like his puppy anymore. And now he was making violent, gross threats that he didn't think Kiba would ever say.

"Get ready…" Kiba formed a few hand seals…and he seemed to change. His fingernails grew out into claws and his canines lengthened into fangs and he generally looked a bit more bestial than normal. The Inuzuka lowered himself into a four-legged stance and sneered. "…Here I come, kitty-boy!"

"I'm not—_oof!_"

Kiba slammed into his gut with freakish speed and didn't let up. He slashed at Naruto with his claws, darting in and out on all-fours like a freaky human-animal. Naruto tried to get a move in edgewise, but Kiba was fast, relentless, and vicious.

_What the hell?_ Naruto stumbled backwards, nearly tripping as he dodged a blow that could've opened up his cheek. _When did Kiba turn part werewolf?_

_

* * *

_

Kakashi stared over the railing as he watched Naruto struggle with his opponent. He was puzzled and concerned with Kiba's behavior. The jounin had no personal experience with the boy, but he knew the general character of the Inuzuka clan very well, and this didn't fit at all.

"…It looks like Naruto's going to lose," Sakura frowned, rubbing at a sore spot on her shoulder. "Kiba's bigger, and he's so much faster…"

Sasuke said nothing, his dark gaze intent on the fight unfolding below.

"It doesn't look good for your student," Kurenai commented as she and her two other students moved closer to Kakashi's chosen spot. "Perhaps he should withdraw."

"Oh, I think Naruto will surprise you," Kakashi replied casually. "Or…were you hoping that Naruto would give up easily so that you could get Kiba looked at by the medics?"

"We encouraged Kiba to seek medical attention," Shino volunteered, adjusting his round shades. "He refused. Why? We do not know."

Kurenai pressed her lips together for a moment before responding.

"…Yes, I do wish for the fight to be over quickly so that Kiba can be looked at."

"Naruto won't quit easily," Kakashi shrugged as he watched the blond get smacked down to the tile floor. "And should Kiba really need a doctor, Hayate will stop the fight. So try and relax, and we'll see whose student is stronger."

_Naruto can win,_ the silver-haired jounin mused as he leaned against the railing. _The question is how will he do it… Will he improvise a winning strategy, or will he tap into his…unique abilities?_


	26. Dog VS Fox

**Chapter 25**

_Dog VS Fox_

Kurenai watched Kiba's fight with mounting concern. Refusing to let Akamaru battle with him was something he'd never done before. And now he was attacking like a wild animal—no smoke bombs, no strategy, just attack after attack. The only jutsu he'd used so far was the clan technique that heightened his feral features and senses.

She wished that he'd exhibited more signs of ill health beforehand so that he wouldn't have been allowed to participate. If Kiba hadn't been able to stand or had been vomiting before the match, Hayate wouldn't have let it even start. Or if Kiba's mild coordination problems had persisted instead of vanishing as the boys had started fighting, Hayate would've stepped in and declared Naruto the winner.

But with the match started, there was nothing she could do, as much as she wanted to. If she intervened and forced the match to end, she would hurt Kiba's score far more than if he was defeated or if he willingly forfeited. Not knowing exactly what was wrong with her student, she couldn't justify crippling his chances for promotion to herself.

So she stood by and worried, along with most of the other adults present. Every Konoha-nin from Kiba's old classmates to the Hokage himself looked unhappy as they watched the fight play out. They knew Kiba wasn't acting right for an Inuzuka. Only the foreign ninjas were left in the dark.

_It seems that Kakashi is right about his student,_ she thought as she watched Naruto roll to his feet after a nasty blow and keep going despite the beating he'd taken so far. _He won't quit easily…but I wish that he would. The sooner this fight ends the better…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto wheezed as Kiba slammed into his side and sent the blond skidding along the tile floor of the indoor arena. Before he'd even come to a full stop, Kiba was on him again, slashing towards his throat and chest. The boy in orange was able to slap the Inuzuka's claws away and roll to his feet to try and keep fighting.

_Kiba never fought like this back in the Academy,_ Naruto thought as he tried to trip the bigger boy up, only for Kiba to jump out of range and then dash around to strike at him from another angle. _He just isn't letting up! I need to do something before he makes me Akamaru's new chew toy!_

Desperate to get a little breathing room, Naruto twisted around and caught Kiba's next slashing blow that had been aimed at his side and then kicked out at the Inuzuka's face. The kick made Kiba's nose bleed and probably broke it, but the bigger boy barely flinched and simply lashed out with his free hand. All the nose injury really seemed to do was make Kiba breathe out of his mouth more, which forced Naruto to smell more of his nasty breath.

"Dude, breath mints!" Naruto coughed as he reeled away from Kiba's next series of strikes, and the nasty odor coming from his mouth. "What did you eat out in the forest—dead animals?"

"Quit running away, scaredy-cat!" Kiba barked, completely ignoring Naruto's jibe. "Hold still so I can rip you to pieces!"

"Why the heck would I hold still for that?" Naruto squawked, nearly falling over as he bent backwards to avoid taking a hit to the head.

Kiba made no reply, the canine-lover just kept dashing in and out and in at various angles. With his fur-lined jacket, claws, fangs, bloodshot and shadowed eyes, and now with a bloody nose, he was like a rabid demon hound, fixated completely on tearing apart his prey. It was like some psycho had crawled into his buddy's skin.

"Hey, Kiba, did you miss your rabies shot this year?" the blond asked as he hurled a few shuriken…which missed the mark completely.

"C'mere!" Kiba roared, launching into a spin that, combined with chakra and dust, turned him into a sideways tornado drill.

Yelping, Naruto barely vaulted over the attack in time. _Holy crap!_

Undeterred by the miss, Kiba went back to dashing around on all-fours and bouncing off walls to lash out at his foe from all sorts of angles. Naruto tried to keep up, but Kiba's speed and the numerous stinging cuts and bruises that he'd accumulated were slowly wearing him down. And then Naruto found himself with his back to one of the arena walls with Kiba bearing down on him like a guided missile.

"Gotcha now, kitty-face!" Kiba howled, spinning himself into another tornado-drill as he closed in.

Naruto scrambled right, just missing being ground into the wall by Kiba's attack. As he skirted the wall, he almost tripped over Akamaru who still cowered in the spot where he'd been banished earlier. He ducked down to scoop up the little white puppy—

Kiba soared just inches over Naruto's stooped back, missing his target and skidded a few yards before whirling around with a feral grin.

"Here kitty, kitty!"

"Enough with the cat stuff!" Naruto snapped and held up the puppy so that Kiba could see him. "I got Akamaru! Now what're you gonna do, huh?"

"Who cares about that stupid hairball?" Kiba laughed and galloped into another charge. "Just die!"

_"(Kiba?)"_ Akamaru whined piteously as Naruto tucked the puppy under his arm and side-stepped the Inuzuka's next charge. _"(What's wrong with you?)"_

"What the hell?" Naruto yelped. _'Just die'?_

The Inuzuka lunged again and Naruto managed to whip out one of his kunai and cracked the blunt ring-end into Kiba's hip. Again the bigger boy didn't seem to feel any pain, but he was knocked off balance and he stumbled hard. When Kiba tried attacking again, Naruto managed another glancing blow, slicing Kiba's weapon pouch off more by luck than by design.

Holding his kunai with his teeth, and still awkwardly cradling Akamaru with his left arm, he snatched up Kiba's dropped pouch and dumped it out, hoping to find something he could use. There were a bunch of kunai, of course, along with a roll of bandages, a bottle of some kind of pills, and a couple of small smoke bombs. Naruto crouched down to grab the spherical smoke bombs—

Kiba slammed into his back, pinning him down onto the tile floor and almost crushing Akamaru in the process.

"Gotcha!" Kiba growled and wrapped his fingers around the back of Naruto's neck. "You're cat food!"

Naruto spat the kunai from his mouth and growled: "What the heck is it with you and calling me a cat?"

And then he grasped the smoke bombs, squeezed them, channeled chakra through them, and they went off. Thick black smoke boiled out and quickly blinded all three of them. Naruto took advantage of the distraction and bucked Kiba off before diving out of the smoke with the puppy.

Kiba didn't seem to be able to find his way out.

"Where are you, you coward? Come out and fight me!"

Naruto slowly edged away from the pall of smoke and took the opportunity to catch his breath.

"What's wrong with Kiba?" he mumbled.

_"(I don't know,)"_ Akamaru moaned. _"(We were stalking something out in the forest and then something happened…I didn't see. He's been different. His breath smells bad. Kiba's not right…)"_

Naruto watched the sad little puppy from the corner of his eye.

"I hear a dog barking…" Kiba growled darkly from inside the smoke cloud.

_"(Kiba, Kiba let's talk!)"_ the puppy pleaded. _"(Tell me what happened, I can help!)"_

"I don't think he's interested," Naruto almost whispered and set the puppy down by his feet.

Something was very wrong with Kiba. He looked wrong, he acted wrong, he smelled wrong. Naruto knew that the fight needed to be ended fast so that whatever was wrong with Kiba could be fixed, but the proctor didn't seem to think it was dire enough to stop the fighting and Naruto wasn't about to just forfeit, not when he could win…

_…It's worth the risk,_ he decided. _Kiba's my friend. No more holding back._

_

* * *

_

Kiba was blind with rage more than he was from the smoke. The pipsqueak had wriggled loose just when he'd been about to win. That was unforgiveable.

He was going to rip the boy in orange into a thousand pieces and then spit on him!

And then he'd work on that annoying fur ball.

Then he'd go after everyone else, one by one.

He'd show them his power…

His insides burned and churned and he felt more alive and energized than he ever had before. His pulse pounded in his ears, making it difficult to hear anything. The thick smoke choked his sense of smell, already greatly diminished by his broken, bleeding nose. He didn't feel quite balanced, but that was alright. He'd find his way out of the smokescreen eventually.

And then Naruto would die!

Groping his way through the dark smoke, he finally emerged into clear air…with his target directly in front of him.

"This is the end!" Kiba crowed in wild delight and galloped at his opponent.

He was done toying with his prey. The blond moron was thoroughly tenderized. Now it was time to go in for the kill.

The mad Inuzuka leapt for his foe's bowed head, claws outstretched, ready to rip his skull from his shoulders—

Cat-boy caught both his wrists and halted his charge, barely sliding back an inch from the force of Kiba's momentum. The bestial boy scowled…and gawked when he noticed that the loser's fingernails had turned claw-like. When the smaller boy lifted his head to stare Kiba in the eye, the Inuzuka was startled to see the thin kitty-whiskers had thickened into tiger-ish stripes, he had small fangs poking out of his mouth, and his blue eyes had developed narrow feline pupils.

"Hey, Kiba…guess what?" the orange-clad clown spoke in a low, sing-song tone. "Anything you can do…I can do better!"

And then he slammed his forehead into Kiba's face.

* * *

Sasuke immediately noticed when it happened—when the direction of the fight flipped around. The first half of the fight Naruto had been kicked around and chased around and completely on the defensive. And then all of a sudden he was able to stop Kiba cold, when before a charge like that would've knocked him half-way across the arena.

_What the…?_

He activated his Sharingan to better watch the fight and to memorize what happened in the rest of the fight. His red spinning eyes focused on the two boys and the cowering puppy, everything appearing to happen in slow motion. He didn't have a good view of Naruto's face, but from Kiba's sickly, twisted expression, he was seeing something unexpected.

And then Naruto whispered some taunt and head-butted Kiba hard enough to almost knock him down. The puppy whined and slunk off to take shelter by the unhealthy-looking proctor. Then the fight between the two boys exploded.

Before Kiba had had the advantage of speed, strength, and size over Naruto. Now Naruto was faster and his hits had more force behind them. The only thing Kiba had left on his side was his greater size and reach and the fact that he'd done some damage to Naruto earlier in the fight.

Naruto seemed to be mimicking Kiba's bestial taijutsu style. He was running on all-fours like Kiba and delivering slashing blows…with claws? And—

_The hell?_

Sasuke's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Naruto's face. The faint whisker-like markings were dark and broad. There were fangs in his mouth and his eyes…they weren't human anymore. He looked more feral than Kiba did when he'd activated his clan jutsu.

_…Is this how he beat that Kiri-nin back in Wave?_

He gripped the metal railing and focused on the battle unfolding below him, ignoring the shocked and confused whispers of the other spectators wondering where he'd gotten all that strength from.

_Father will want to hear about this…_

_

* * *

_

Naruto matched Kiba move for move. When Kiba tried to get the drop on Naruto by running on the wall, Naruto just took the fight up the wall to him. When Kiba tried to circle around and attack from behind, Naruto did the same to him by moving even faster. When Kiba ran on all-fours, so did Naruto. When Kiba made slashing strikes, so did Naruto. He copied everything that Kiba did (except for that spinning tornado-drill move) and did it faster and better.

"You really are a cat," Kiba wheezed, finally seeming to feel the blows that he'd taken. "Dogs eat cats you know."

Beyond annoyed with Kiba's fixation on him being a cat, Naruto sped in to hopefully deliver the finishing blows.

"I'm—"

He slammed a fist into Kiba's cheek.

"—not—"

He punched Kiba's right shoulder.

"—a—"

He hooked his left fist into Kiba's side.

"—cat!"

And he finished it off with a blow to Kiba's gut that left the boy doubled over and collapsed on his knees.

"Would you get that fact through your head?"

Kiba didn't answer, he just coughed and wheezed…and then he spewed.

"Eeeww!" Naruto grimaced and hopped back a few steps. "Gross! What the hell did you eat?"

It was black and viscous like molten roof tar and it somehow managed to smell twice as bad as Kiba's breath. And since Naruto had tapped into some of his lycanthropic power, his sense of smell was on par with a dog's, which made it that much worse. His eyes were watering and he was rather tempted to puke himself.

After he'd finished heaving and retching, Kiba flopped onto his side and fainted. The proctor saw that he was incapacitated and walked over to check him. Akamaru moved faster and arrived first to paw at Kiba's shoulder and whine.

_"(Kiba! Kiba, wake up! Kiba!)"_

Naruto tried not to gag as he focused on reversing the minor transformation so the smell wouldn't be so bad. The sickly jounin with the sword shuffled over to Kiba's side and checked his pulse. Nodding at whatever he found he straightened up to give his official announcement—

The nasty black barf moved. It quivered, drew in on itself to almost form a sphere that was roughly the size of a small beach ball, and then it started rolling…right at Naruto. And it accelerated very quickly.

"Wah!" Naruto cried and took off running.

It followed him…and got even faster.

_"(What…is that what got Kiba?)"_ Akamaru yipped, tilting his head.

Naruto put on a burst of speed, jumped into the air, spun around, and hurled one of his kunai at it.

The throwing knife went right through the middle of the black blob, but it was barely disrupted and it quickly got back up to speed.

"What—"

The proctor swooped in with his sword drawn and sliced the freaky glob eight times in about five seconds, splattering it in all directions. It didn't stay dispersed very long as the various little pieces immediately started slithering back together. The sickly swordsman coughed a few times and glanced towards Naruto, who was watching the freaky black goo with morbid fascination.

"You win; congratulations. Now go back to the observation deck." He coughed and adjusted his grip on his weapon as he eyed the evil ooze. "ANBU will take care of this."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice and made a mad dash for the stairs, giving the black nastiness a wide berth. He slipped on the steps twice and almost fell, and then almost bowled Shikamaru over in his haste to return to his sensei's side. There he collapsed and tried to catch his breath, secretly checking his teeth with his tongue to make sure that he'd gotten rid of his feral features.

_That was sick!_

"Nice freak-out down there, dead-last," Sasuke mocked.

Naruto glared at the Uchiha. "Oh? What would _you_ do if someone's barf tried to attack you, huh?"

"I would've set it on fire," was Sasuke's cool response.

The blond genin huffed and looked away, back down into the arena. _Maybe I should've done that…_

The two ANBU that had flanked the Hokage had temporarily left the village leader to be guarded by the various nearby Konoha chuunin and jounin, and were pinning the black thing down with a turbulent water jutsu. Meanwhile, Kiba was being loaded onto a stretcher by the medic-nin and was hastily carted away through the hidden door down in the arena. Akamaru chased after them, determined to stick with his partner.

The cavernous room was eerily still as the two masked ninja—one mask had a frog face painted on it, the other had wispy gray patterns that suggested spider webs—forced the black entity, mixed with the small water jutsu, into some kind of special storage scroll. The frog-masked ANBU took the scroll and left while his companion returned to the Hokage's side. At a nod from the Hokage, the tournament proceeded and the computer started sorting through the last few names.

_That was intense!_ Naruto sighed and relaxed, glad that the animated black puke was gone, and that his match was over (and he'd won!). _If only Kiba hadn't been sick…or whatever…it would've been better._

_ …I hope that no one got a good look at me when I got serious._

Sasuke edged closer to Naruto and quietly asked, "So, is that how you won in _Nami no Kuni_?"

_Crap!_

"I don't think so," Sakura commented, standing on the other side of Naruto, glancing down at him nervously. "It sort of reminded me of what he did in the Forest of Death when that awful chakra from the Kitsune skeleton possessed him."

_Double crap!_

"Hm?" Naruto could feel Kakashi looming over him, although his eyes were fixed on the screen that was declaring that Rock Lee was going to be fighting the final Taki-nin, Taro. He also had the feeling that Team Eight on the left and Team Ten on the right were watching him, too, but he didn't want to look. "What happened to Naruto?"

_I am in so much trouble…_

_

* * *

_

Sarutobi Hiruzen did his best to give the final two matches of the Forest of Death Tournament his full attention. Rock Lee's match against the last member of the Taki-nin had been quick and decisive as his taijutsu skills far outstripped Taro's use of weaponry and ninjutsu. And the final match—_Akimichi Chouji VS Kinuta Dosu_—had ended even more quickly, with the Oto-genin simply dodging Chouji's human boulder form until the chubby genin got stuck and then used sound waves to incapacitate him.

With all the winners decided, the old Hokage made his way down to the arena floor where Anko was having all the survivors pick numbered slips of paper from a cup. Each of the genin announced which number they'd drawn and Hayate recorded it on a clipboard. Hiruzen waited a few more beats before taking a step forward and giving the speech that he gave every year.

"Congratulations all of you," he said, instantly drawing their attention. "You have all seen through deception, you have survived the wild, and you have proven your strength against your fellow ninja. Now only one test remains. One month from today, you will fight in the main arena and slay a selection of lesser demons for the chance of promotion to chuunin."

"Why a month?" Naruto complained, speaking out of turn.

"I was just getting to that, be patient," the Hokage lightly scolded, giving the orange-clothed genin a warning glance. "This will be a public event where village civilians along with dignitaries from far and wide. The month-long period allows plenty of time for all of the honored guests to make their way to Konoha. Also, during this time, the demons that you will be fighting will need to be collected.

"Use this month wisely," he advised them. "Train to refine and expand your skills; you'll need them to defeat your foes and earn the right to be promoted. The numbers that you have drawn determine the order in which you will fight, so keep that in mind when you make your final preparations. You will not know what demon or demons you will face, but rest assured it will be nothing more serious than a C-class species."

He looked over the line of young chuunin-hopefuls one last time before dismissing them.

"Go now and do your best. You will be escorted back to the village through underground tunnels. I will see you all in the stadium in one month's time."

The genin bowed to him and dispersed.

Hiruzen left the arena ahead of all of them with his remaining ANBU escort trailing after him like a solid shadow. He and the proctors and observers would have a meeting that evening to draw up a list of the demons that Konoha needed to acquire for the final trial. He also needed to be updated on village security as Orochimaru had been spotted earlier, but the reptile hanyou's current location remained unknown. And he needed to get more information on the genin effected by the mysterious black substance—he knew that Kiba and the dead Hoshi-genin weren't the only victims.

"Spider," he said to the ANBU as they traversed one of the tunnels that ran underneath the forest, "alert Mangetsu that the preliminary tournament is completed and that he should expect his charge soon."


	27. The Silver Standard

**Chapter 26**

_The Silver Standard_

Itachi patiently waited for his foolish little brother to exit the Forest of Death. There were other family members of Konoha-genin waiting by the underground tunnel that led out of the forest as well. Earlier, there had been a real crowd gathered for the results of the test, but when the genin who had failed to conquer the forest course had been herded out, many people had left when the genin they'd been waiting for had appeared, whispering words of encouragement about next year to them as they left.

It was nice to get outside and be in the fresh air. And he looked forward to seeing his younger brother again and finding out how he had performed in the Trials so far. But he couldn't fully enjoy the nice weather and the opportunity to be the first one to greet his sibling.

After months of chasing down paperwork and staring at dead-end leads, his father had released him from the unpleasant task of trying to research Naruto's background. While Itachi had been hoping that his father would lose interest in Naruto, the way that he'd dismissed Itachi from his investigation didn't feel right. Fugaku had been frustrated at the initial lack of solid information, and even more frustrated as Itachi had failed to find anything further. For him to suddenly drop it was unusual and out of character.

And it made Itachi worried.

Worse, over the past few days, he'd noticed his father meeting with a few older Uchiha. They were all skilled and loyal members of the clan. Normally Itachi would be pulled into whatever project Fugaku had in mind as well, but this time he'd been excluded.

_What are you up to, father?_

_

* * *

_

Naruto pouted and unhappily trudged along the eerie tunnel that ran underneath the Forest of Death and would end somewhere outside of it. The corridor was low-ceiling and musty-smelling and wasn't well lit. With all of the other teams far ahead, it was almost like Team Seven was walking alone.

Kakashi-sensei probably had engineered it that way so that they wouldn't be overheard.

After staying back, and exchanging some words with an ANBU, the silver-haired jounin had slowly led them into the exit tunnel and set Sakura to detailing their adventures out in the forest. The pink-haired girl faithfully recounted the events, going through their entry to the course, the fight with Orochimaru, the Oto-nin attack, the Kyuubi possession episode, and ending with their arrival at the tower. The things that had happened while Naruto had been lost was news to the blond, and all that happened while Sasuke had been napping was news to the Uchiha.

Then Kakashi had Sasuke explain himself. The Uchiha didn't have much to add to what Sakura had said, as he'd been unconscious most of the time and did little more than fight Orochimaru. All he'd really had to say was that the reason he'd tried to fight the false Kusa-nin was that he hadn't imagined that "she" would've been a serious challenge.

"Should you ever encounter Orochimaru again—and seeing how he's marked you, it's unfortunately likely—run," the jounin advised Sasuke. "That goes for all of you, and your classmates and comrades, too. He is an exceptionally dangerous rogue hunter and very few Konoha _jounin_ can hope to stand up to him."

"He's really that dangerous?" Sakura asked, wringing her hands.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "Even Hokage-sama would have trouble defeating him."

Naruto shuddered and dug his fists into his pockets. _I hope Kakashi-sensei's wrong and that snake guy never shows up again!_

"Really?" Sasuke muttered, sounding very dubious.

"Orochimaru was once Hokage-sama's greatest student," the jounin informed him. "And in addition he is a half-demon."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. _A half-demon what?_

"Have they covered hanyou in your lecture classes yet?"

"They've been mentioned every now and then, but never discussed in great detail," Sakura answered.

"Ah." Kakashi was quiet for a moment before giving an explanation. "Half-demons—hanyou—are exactly what they sound like: the result of a human mating with a demon. All manner of demon species can produce offspring with humans, but the general rule is that the more advanced and intelligent the demon race, the more likely it is to successfully create a child. They're fairly rare as there are enormous prejudices against them among both humans and demons. In Orochimaru's case, his mother was probably raped by a reptile demon—most likely a species of venomous Naga—and he was abandoned shortly after birth. Many attribute his betrayal of the village and sociopathic behavior to his demon blood, but as plenty of pure-blooded humans can behave the same way it's really impossible to say for certain if that's true."

_Okay,_ Naruto decided, _I really don't like this snake guy at all._

"Are hanyou allowed to become demon-hunters?" Sakura asked.

"There's no law against them," Kakashi shrugged. "They aren't very common; you're more likely to hunt one down that's gone mad than meet one as a ninja. Unless you travel to Kumo, they have a reputation for recruiting hanyou…among other things."

"Do hanyou go mad often?" Sasuke inquired, sounding fairly curious.

"It's hard to say," Kakashi shrugged. "The only time you really hear about one is when it's snapped for some reason or other. Otherwise they just live in obscurity. I really can't say if their reputation as unstable beings is in any way justified."

"What is it?" Sasuke grunted. "Either they're dangerously unstable, or they aren't."

"Life is rarely black and white, Sasuke," the silver-haired man said. "There is a wide variety of kinds of hanyou and no one is studying any of them."

Naruto frowned in thought, and then yelped when he walked into an impressive cobweb that hung off the wall and ceiling that had been hidden in a dim stretch between light fixtures. He stopped to flail ineffectually until he got most of the sticky, tickly stuff off. And then, belatedly noticing how far ahead his team had gotten, he sprinted to catch up.

"Well, enough on that." Kakashi reached over and brushed a bit of spider silk still sticking to Naruto's hair. "Now it's your turn."

"My turn?" Naruto repeated stupidly.

"Yes," his sensei nodded patiently. "Tell us what you got up to when you were on your own in Field 44."

"Oh," Naruto gulped as the moment he'd dreaded since the ending of the tournament finally came. "Well… The giant snake was chasing me, so I ran and I ran and I ran all over the place until I finally lost it. But then…I was lost, so I tried to find my way back, but I kept almost running into people and getting turned around more. And—"

"You just lost the snake?" Sasuke snorted. "You didn't kill it?"

"Nah, I just outran it until it got tired of chasing me, I guess," Naruto shrugged and laced his fingers together behind his head.

There was no way he was telling them how he'd really gotten away from the snake. That information was for Kakashi-sensei only. He would've liked to tell Sasuke and Sakura, but Sasuke was an Uchiha and the Uchiha were all about hunting down demon-y things and stabbing first and asking questions later (if ever), and Sakura would just go running to Sasuke if she found out in hopes of getting his attention.

"So, while I'm lost, I find these Taki-nin," Naruto continued. "The same ones that made it to the tower—"

"I was wondering why they kept glaring at you," Sasuke grumbled. "What did you do to them?"

"I tricked them," Naruto replied smugly. "They got their hands on a second white box and I devised this awesome strategy and stole it!"

"What 'awesome strategy' would that be?" Sakura asked warily. "You didn't use that awful, gender-bending, naked _henge,_ did you?"

"No, no, no!" Naruto hurriedly assured her. "There was a girl on that team; it totally wouldn't have worked anyway."

"Well, what _did_ you do, then?" Sasuke demanded. "More _kage bunshin_?"

"Mm-hm," Naruto cheerfully nodded. "I made a couple of _kage bunshin_ and disguised one as an animal, because the kunoichi was really into animals. After I distracted her with the fake animal, I distracted all the rest with the human _bunshin_, and in all the chaos I stole one of their boxes and some of their food!"

"…That's stupid," Sasuke decided. "How did such morons make it to the tower with the right boxes within the time limit when they fell for something so ridiculous?"

"My plan was awesome!" Naruto insisted. "You're just jealous because you ended up being totally useless."

Sasuke made a sort of growling sound and made as if to punch him, but he was stopped by Kakashi and a sudden bout of crippling shoulder pain.

"You need to relax, Sasuke," the jounin warned. "That mark will get in your way—even sealed—if you let your emotions get the best of you. …I need to remember to set you up with some appointments with Anko."

Naruto eyed the sour-faced Sasuke warily for a minute as he kept walking…and wondered just when the tunnel was supposed to end.

"Please continue, Naruto," Kakashi invited.

"Okay, um…" The blond genin hesitated, taking a few extra moments to find his place in his story. "So, I was still lost and all, and I kept looking for the Bastard and Sakura-chan. And when I finally thought I was getting close, I ran into that crazy Lee guy fighting that creepy Dosu guy. That creepy Dosu guy used his sound power and I fell out of the tree and…and I don't really remember what happened next."

"You don't remember?" Sasuke snorted, probably still mad about Naruto calling him useless.

"Not really, no," Naruto lied. _Sorry Kakashi-sensei, I'll tell you the truth later. Much later. And, if I forget to, probably never._

"Sensei, was all the things that Orochimaru said about the Kyuubi true?" Sakura asked anxiously.

"Yes," the jounin nodded after a moment's thought. "As far as I'm aware, everything he told you is fact."

"So Konoha has a test where genin and foreign genin run around in a forest that has an evil skeleton of doom in it?" Naruto asked, rather unnerved.

"Well, I've never heard of anyone being possessed, or even seriously affected, by the Kyuubi remains before," Kakashi answered. "Aside from passively fueling the forest, I haven't heard of the skeleton doing anything."

"Really?" Naruto gulped, feeling even more nervous.

At that moment, they finally reached the exit of the tunnel. Kakashi pushed the doors open, flooding the dim tunnel with bright sunlight that briefly blinded them all. When their eyes adjusted, the jounin herded them outside and sealed the tunnel behind him.

All of the other participants from the preliminary tournament had already left for the village, except for Team Ten. They were only just leaving in the company of their famous (some said _in_famous) fathers. The only other people waiting in the clearing by the exit were Sasuke's almost-creepy older brother, and two adults that Naruto guessed were Sakura's parents.

"Alright, students," Kakashi sighed. "Since two of the three of you will be advancing, I'll have to split you up so that you can properly train. I'll be focusing on Sasuke for the month, a colleague of mine will take care of Naruto, and Sakura…I'm afraid that unless you can find a tutor you'll have to engage in independent study as I don't know anyone offhand who would benefit you and has the time to train with you."

"Okay," Sakura nodded, accepting her fate and scampering off to her parents at Kakashi's wave.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted and skulked off to join his brother without waiting for any dismissal.

"A colleague of yours?" Naruto repeated, curious and confused. "Who's that?"

"No idea," the jounin shrugged.

"How's he your colleague then?" the blond sputtered.

"All Konoha ninja are my colleagues," the older ninja replied. "Anyway, whoever he is, Hokage-sama specifically selected him as Jiraiya is still out of the village. He'll meet you at Iruka's apartment so keep your eyes peeled for an ANBU."

"Okay, cool." Naruto turned to leave, but hesitated. "Should I tell you all the stuff I left out now, or later?"

"Tell your new tutor," Kakashi answered. "He'll report directly to Hokage-sama…who I'm sure would like to know why you decided to take the direction you did in your match against Kiba. Run along now, I need to have a chat with Itachi before they leave."

"Gotcha," Naruto nodded and jogged towards the trail that led back to Konoha. "See ya later, Kakashi-sensei!"

_Another new teacher…_ Naruto pouted for a moment as he hurried along the trail, quickly bypassing Sakura and her parents who'd been ahead of him. _Oh well, at least he's ANBU. That should make him awesome, right?_

_

* * *

_

"So, how did it go?" Itachi asked.

"Good," Sasuke answered. "We got out of the forest early and my opponent wasn't too challenging."

"Mother and father will be pleased to hear that," Itachi remarked. "I'm sure that there will be a special dinner to celebrate your progress in the Trials so far. But don't let this go to your head, foolish little brother. There is still the final trial to complete."

"Will you help me train?" the younger Uchiha asked, trying not to sound too overly hopeful.

"Won't your sensei be training you?"

"He said he would, but he's always late for everything so I'm sure that there will be plenty of time for me to train with you, too." Sasuke glanced around, noting Sakura's departure and Kakashi and Naruto talking about…something. "I want to do my best in the stadium."

"So long as your sensei approves, I'd be glad to help," Itachi said with a faint smile.

"Thank you," Sasuke almost grinned, feeling relieved.

He knew that Kakashi was a powerful shinobi. The conflict in Wave had proven that. But his older brother was just as good, if not better, and an Uchiha.

"Why don't we go discuss this with your sensei?" Itachi suggested.

But fortunately it seemed that Kakashi was already on his way over as Naruto darted away back towards Konoha.

"Itachi-san," the silver-haired man greeted with a polite nod. "A few words before you return home?"

"Of course," the older brother agreed. "Is this about Sasuke's training schedule?"

"…Indirectly," Kakashi said. "Sasuke encountered Orochimaru in the Forest of Death."

Itachi went very still and tense.

"Orochimaru forced a curse mark on him," the jounin continued. "It hasn't yet activated, and it was sealed as soon as Sasuke reached the tower by an ANBU."

"…I see," Itachi spoke at last. "Thank you for informing me. Do you know if Orochimaru is still in the area?"

"ANBU patrols have swept the village and the surrounding forest and haven't located him," Kakashi answered. "But that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"I understand," Itachi nodded and gripped Sasuke's shoulder with one hand. "I'll keep on my guard."

The two older ninja exchanged a few more words, mostly about Sasuke's training, before parting ways. Sasuke rubbed at his shoulder and worried as he and his older brother walked back to Konoha and home. He remembered what the ANBU had told him about the curse mark and he anxiously wondered what his brother thought of it.

"Don't worry, Sasuke," Itachi said quietly as they walked side by side. "I'll protect you…from whoever I have to."

Sasuke frowned worriedly.

_Who else would be after me besides this Orochimaru person?_

_

* * *

_

Uchiha Shisui hopped from roof to roof, using his fabled speed to sweep back and forth over the neighborhoods that lay closest to the training fields. He looked just like any other Uchiha of the Military Police on high alert for the Trials. But Fugaku-sama had given him a special task for today.

His sharp eyes scanned the crowds, seeking one individual in particular. When he spied the second, smaller wave of people returning from the Forest of Death, he activated his Sharingan to better spot his target. It was very important that he locate the boy as quickly as possible—long before he returned to his home.

And then he found him, and wondered why he'd bothered to activate his eyes. The boy almost glowed with his bright blond hair and even brighter blue and orange clothing. The only way the boy could've been more visible was if he had flashing lights floating over his head.

_What an idiot._

Shisui dropped down to the streets and tailed the boy, focusing his power on him.

In addition to his speed, Shisui was known for his Sharingan skill. Of all the Uchiha, he was one of the most skilled "compellers" in the whole clan. If he was close enough, he could even influence a person without making direct eye contact.

Whenever a mission called for a rogue hunter to be brought in alive, Shisui was always chosen to do it. Whenever a criminal organization needed destroying, Shisui alone could be sent to have the criminals at each others' throats until the gang imploded. Shisui was fast and he was subtle.

It would be child's play to get Naruto off the busy streets and into one of the quieter village districts where Fugaku-sama and the others would be waiting without the boy realizing it until it was far too late…

* * *

Mangetsu sat on the roof of the apartment building, watching the entrance, and waited. Every few minutes, he pulled out a watch and checked the time. The longer he waited, the more often he checked the time, and the more unhappy that he became.

Surely it didn't take that long to walk from the Forest of Death to this apartment building…

Finally he couldn't stand waiting any longer. He tucked a seal marker into a sheltered part of the roof and then move on in an outward search spiral. If he somehow missing locating Naruto, he could warp back to the apartment building and pick him up from there.

When or if he found the boy wandering the streets, he'd just follow from the shadows until he returned to his home. If Naruto wanted to take his time walking back, or if he wanted to stop and get food from a restaurant, the ANBU had no plans on stopping him. All the canine-masked ANBU wanted to do was find the boy and ease his mind.

It was too hard to sit still and wait for him to turn up.

So he bounded from rooftop to rooftop and searched…

* * *

Naruto spaced out as he wound his way back to Iruka's apartment. He took a slightly longer way than he normally would have so that he could hopefully avoid the others from the tournament in the Forest of Death. He didn't want to worry about dodging questions from old classmates on how he'd beaten Kiba.

Also, he was a bit anxious about this ANBU he was supposed to be meeting for his month of training before the final trial. Kakashi didn't know this guy personally, so Naruto had no idea what sort of person he'd be meeting. Sure, the Hokage had picked the guy, but what if he was a sucky teacher? Or not all that friendly? Or if he hated ramen?

What if the guy had issues working with a kid werewolf?

_I wish I could've met the guy before now…or even if I knew the guy's name._

There was also the anxiety about how much trouble he was in. Would he get in trouble for using his lycanthropy powers in acquiring his team's white box from the Taki-nin? Would he get in trouble for getting possessed by the Kyuubi skeleton? Would he get in trouble for how he'd defeated Kiba?

Naruto wasn't all that eager to find out.

_I can't wander around forever, though,_ he knew. _It's not cool to keep people waiting. It sure pisses me off when Kakashi-sensei does it…all the time._

With a sigh, Naruto gathered his nerve and looked around…

…And found that he wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Not even close.

Instead of being somewhere near Iruka's apartment building, it looked like he was in a maze of alleys that ran behind a bunch of stores in a commercial district. He could sort of hear the streets on the other side of the buildings, but he couldn't see any quick way out to them. Unless he screamed at the top of his lungs it was doubtful that any civilian would hear him.

_How the heck did I get back here?_ Naruto wondered as he wrinkled his nose at the stench of mildew and garbage. _Whatever. Time to leave!_

Naruto gathered chakra to the soles of his feet and prepared to scamper up the wall to the roof—

A hand roughly caught the back of his jacket collar, stopping him cold.

"You aren't going anywhere just yet. Fugaku-sama wants a word with you."

Naruto flinched and turned around to find an Uchiha behind him. He looked a bit older than Sasuke's brother and he was dressed as a Military Police Officer. The Uchiha's eyes were red with lazily spinning tomoe orbiting his pupils.

"Who?" the boy croaked weakly, his heart racing with sudden fear.

The strange Uchiha jerked his head and Naruto slowly turned to see several other Uchiha emerging from a side alley a few yards ahead. There were three of them, but only one really caught his attention. The man had a stony face frozen in a permanent scowl—it looked like he'd never cracked a smile once in his life. Naruto had a feeling that he was the leader, and this Fugaku-sama person.

The frowning man walked right up to Naruto, and the other adults formed a loose circle around the boy in orange, making it impossible to escape. Fugaku stared down at him impassively, his black eyes boring into Naruto with almost physical force. When Naruto was sure that he'd flip out and try to tear his way free, the man spoke.

"I don't like anomalies and you are most certainly an anomaly," the man grunted. "Ever since Sasuke first brought you to my attention—"

Naruto flinched as he suddenly place the name "Fugaku" as Itachi and Sasuke's dad's name. This scowling sourpuss was the jerk that Sasuke looked up to so much, yet never paid him any attention. This jerk was the leader of the Uchiha clan who'd been trying to find out where Naruto had come from.

Icy panic filled his veins and he felt paralyzed.

"—you have been a vexation to me. You have wasted countless hours of my son Itachi's time trying to determine where you came from. You have been a potential threat for months and caused me great concern for Sasuke's safety. But recently there have finally been some clues as to your origin. And now to settle things once and for all, I just need to perform one test."

Fugaku removed a large knife from a leather sheath in his waistband. The handle was too decorated for the knife to be intended for battle and the blade itself was etched with patterns along the dull edge. The metal gleamed brightly—it almost looked white—and it didn't smell like steel or iron…

The panic that had paralyzed him now made Naruto try to bolt, but several sets of hands clamped down on his shoulders and upper arms, and one hand gripped the back of his neck and squeezed so that he felt unable to move.

"I know you have had the lesson on werewolves, so you know of the various ways to test one," Fugaku said as he took Naruto's forearm and pushed back the sleeve. "The easiest way and the most widely employed method is silver exposure. When my father taught it to me, he called it the 'silver standard'."

Without another word, Fugaku pressed the flat side of the silver blade against Naruto's bared arm skin—

Even though Naruto knew that the metal was cold, it was like a hot cup of tea was being touched to his skin. It was hot, uncomfortable, prickly, and starting to get painful. Naruto bit the inside of his cheek to keep from yelping, but when the knifed was pulled away it revealed red irritated skin with the beginnings of blisters.

"As I had feared," Fugaku muttered, sounding almost regretful. "If only Sasuke saw that photograph sooner…"

_Photograph…?_

It took a minute for Naruto to realize what the man was talking about. Then he recalled that Sasuke had seen his mother's picture. And this was Konoha. His parents were known here. There was no place to hide.

He was screwed.

"It's a shame," Fugaku grumbled, looking even sourer than before as he sheathed the fancy knife. "What must be done is clear. It's unfortunate that your mother was too weak-willed and her family too gutless to do it themselves…but the Uchiha will clean up their mess. You are dangerous, not just to my son, but to the village at large, and the Hokage refuses to acknowledge this. Since he has grown too old and blind to see what is for the greater good for the village, we shall act for him."

The Uchiha holding Naruto shifted their grips subtly so that there was a hand holding his hair and pulling his head back to bare his throat, and there was a hand over his mouth so that he couldn't scream.

"Hold still," Fugaku instructed calmly as he drew a smaller silver knife that had an oily glint to it, "and I will make this as quick and painless as possible."

It was like a nightmare that Naruto had suffered many times in the past had come to life.

The knife moved to his neck in slow motion.

Adrenalin surged through Naruto's veins and he struggled desperately against the combined strengths of three adult ninja.

_I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!_

Naruto tried to shift shapes—to become a stronger, fiercer animal—but it happened so slowly…

The knife-tip touched the side of his neck.

Naruto sank his fangs into the hand covering his mouth and bit down as hard as he could.

The blade pierced his skin.

Naruto bucked with all of his strength.

The knife slipped—instead of slashing his throat open it slid down his neck and then sideways across his shoulder, cutting ever deeper as it moved—

It hurt like nothing Naruto had ever experienced before. It was ten times—twenty times—worse than just feeling silver on his skin. It burned like molten lava and it spread inward through his flesh and outward over his skin.

He was screaming even before the Uchiha that he'd bitten managed to tear his wounded and bloody hand free.

_Mommy! Mommy, help me! Mommy!_

The Uchiha were angry, snarling at him. A second blade jutted into his side while Naruto kept flailing, more out of agony now than anything else. Naruto got one hand free and tried to claw at his attackers but he was burning and nauseated and is vision was growing gray and blurry.

There was shouting. A bang. More yelling. But it all sounded muted, like someone had stuffed cotton into his ears.

His struggles slowed…he felt so weak even as he burned and another oddly distant pain bloomed along his hip.

He was yanked suddenly and it felt like he was being torn in half…

And then he spiraled into the dark of nothingness and it was over.


	28. Weaponized Rumor

**Chapter 27**

_Weaponized Rumor_

Sasuke couldn't shake the vague feeling of unease, even as he followed his older brother through the village and back into the Uchiha district. Itachi had to elbow him a few times so that he could give polite responses to the other Uchiha that greeted them as they passed by. Dimly he noted that he was getting a little more attention than usual (normally Itachi would get all the praise and their relatives would mention him as an afterthought…if they remembered to at all)—probably due to his participation in the Trials.

It was only when he arrived home that he was completely distracted from worrying about why Kakashi and his brother were worried. Before he even reached the front steps the door slid open and his mother hurried out to give him a hug. She smelled like cooking rice, her flowery perfume, and home.

"Welcome home," she smiled, greeting him as if he'd been out of the village on a mission instead of simply undergoing a test. "How did it go?"

"Good," Sasuke answered uncertainly.

His mother gave him an odd look before looking to Itachi.

"How did he do?"

"He did well, from what I understand," Itachi answered. "Where is father?"

"He should be in his office," Mikoto replied.

Itachi turned to stare in the general direction of the Military Police headquarters for a minute before heading inside. Sasuke and his mother followed him in. While their mother returned to the kitchen to complete whatever she'd been cooking, Sasuke trailed after his older brother as Itachi headed into the tea room.

"Did you want to tell father about it first?" Sasuke asked quietly, resisting the impulse to finger his shoulder.

"I was simply wondering where he was," Itachi shrugged. "It's probably better to warn mother first."

"Alright," Sasuke mumbled and settled in at the low table.

For a while all was quiet. Itachi looked to be deep in thought and Sasuke distracted himself with tracing the wood grain of the table top with his index finger. The younger Uchiha brother went back to thinking about the evil mark bitten into his skin, the rogue half-demon who'd put it there, and who else besides Orochimaru would be out to get him because of the curse mark.

"Why do you two look so glum?" their mother asked, entering the room with a pitcher of juice and some glasses. "What's wrong?"

Sasuke fidgeted, not sure of what to say as he wasn't entirely sure of all of what was going on.

"Orochimaru was in the Forest of Death," Itachi said.

Mikoto spilled the juice as she was pouring it and almost dropped the pitcher.

"He…he didn't touch Sasuke though, right?"

"Sasuke was cursed," Itachi replied.

She gasped and almost dropped the glass pitcher in her rush to search Sasuke for the proof of Itachi's words. When her fingertips found the invisible spot on Sasuke's shoulder and ran chakra through it to see it, she choked on a sob and clutched him to her chest. The younger Uchiha boy felt a fresh wave of panic at his mother's anguish.

"Mom, the ANBU sealed it," Sasuke gulped. "And Kakashi said he'd get me training time with Anko…" _I know this curse mark is supposed to be really awful, but…it's not like it's going to kill me or turn me in a werewolf!_

"Itachi," Mikoto sniffled. "Go find your father. Maybe…maybe we can keep this from the clan. No one else has to know about it…"

"Do you really think that father will turn a blind eye to this?" Itachi asked dubiously. "And even if he did, eventually the secret will find its way out."

Their mother cried a little and kept on hugging Sasuke. The boy didn't fight his mother's embrace, hoping it would comfort her (he'd never admit that he needed the comfort, too). Itachi just stood by and waited.

"Mom," Sasuke mumbled, unable to keep quiet any longer, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she coughed, trying to gather her composure. "Nothing. Don't worry about it, Sasuke. We'll figure something out."

"Don't worry about what?" Sasuke frowned. "What are you afraid is going to happen?"

Mikoto chewed at her lip in hesitation. She took a deep breath and wiped away the few tears she'd shed. And then she loosened her grip on Sasuke and leaned back to look him in the eye.

"Well, Sasuke—"

Their front door banged open and Uchiha Uruchi, the plump woman who ran the clan bakery, stumbled inside. It was a huge breach of manners to simply barge into another's home, even if they were of the same clan. The fact that Uruchi had done so made Sasuke tense and anxious.

"Uruchi-san," Mikoto frowned, "what—"

"Mikoto-sama!" Uruchi panted, wringing her hands in distress. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?" Mikoto asked.

"Some people are saying that Fugaku-sama, Shisui-san, and two other Military Policemen were attacked by ANBU!" Uruchi said, wide-eyed. "They might even have been killed!"

"What?" Mikoto almost whispered, turning white.

_That…can't be right,_ Sasuke thought, numb. _That would never happen. The ANBU only attack enemies of the village, and father only acts in the defense of the village. It has to be some awful rumor. A lie._

"You haven't heard?" Uruchi swallowed hard. "Do…do you think that the rest of the clan could be next?"

"Don't jump to such conclusions, Uruchi-san," Itachi warned. "I will look into this myself. Go back to your bakery and do your best to relax."

The middle-aged baker woman hesitated, then bowed deeply to them and hurried off. There was a minute of silence, and then Itachi stood and headed for the door. Their mother hurriedly caught his arm before he exited.

"Be careful," she requested.

"I will," Itachi promised. "Try to keep everyone calm while I'm gone." He glanced at Sasuke with a serious expression. "Look after mother for me."

Sasuke nodded wordlessly.

And then Itachi was gone, sliding shut the door that Uruchi had slammed open in her startling entry.

_What's going on?_ Sasuke wondered as he watched his mother go back to the kitchen, pale and trembling. _There's no way that father was attacked by ANBU. There's just no way. Father only does what's right._

_ No one can be punished for that._

_

* * *

_

Kasshoku fought the urge to smile as he watched a section of the Uchiha district from the roof of an apartment building outside the Uchiha's walls. He was too far and too high up to see much detail without pulling out binoculars (which would make it far too obvious that he was spying on them), but he could still see them running around like insects from a kicked ant hill. It had been well worth it informing them of what had happened to four of their number, the clan head included.

He'd had a feeling that the Uchiha would go after the boy as soon as possible, so as soon as the Forest of Death section of the Trials was over he kept an eye on Fugaku. When he noticed the man and some cohorts getting into position he trailed them at a safe distance, careful to shake the ANBU shadow that he'd noticed he'd picked up that morning beforehand. Employing a camouflage jutsu, he found a good spot and settled in to watch.

Even when things went sour and sideways, he did nothing but watch. No matter what happened, he could use the events to his advantage while keeping his hands clean. And so, while more ANBU-nin swarmed in to take custody of the Uchiha, he slipped away to visit the Uchiha district and fed them enough information to take his claims seriously, and be very, very worried.

_Scurry you little Uchiha ants,_ the brown fox in human form silently gloated. _Fear for your lives and mistrust your village! In a few minutes, I'll be visiting the Hyuuga and the Inuzuka and I'll tell them all about how some Uchiha committed an unprovoked and baseless attack on an innocent little genin. And then I'll tell the civilians something completely different…_

He shook his head and reluctantly turned his gaze away from the Uchiha neighborhood.

_And after that I'll look up this Konoha source—Yakushi Kabuto—and see what other more subtle little cracks I can widen in this village._

_ …It'll be so much fun!_

_

* * *

_

It was the irritating electronic beeping that eventually woke him up. When he finally pried his eyes open, he found himself staring up at fluorescent lights and ceiling tiles instead of his bedroom ceiling. He lay there, dazedly wondering where the heck he was and how the heck he'd gotten there.

_"(Kiba, are you awake?)"_

The boy blinked and lifted his head off the pillow just enough to see Akamaru curled up by his side in the bed.

"Where are we?" he croaked, feeling oddly battered and sore.

"You are in the hospital," Shino answered from a plastic chair on the other side of the bed.

"No, really?" Kiba snorted; annoyed that he hadn't noticed that his teammate was also in the room. "When did I get here?"

"Two hours ago," Shino replied.

Kiba dragged a hand over his face (dimly taking note that he'd broken his nose somehow), trying to shake the cobwebs from his head. "So, we washed out of the Trials…"

_"(Huh?)"_ Akamaru whined, cocking his head in confusion.

"No," Shino said, adjusting his shades. "We successfully navigated the Forest of Death and cleared that phase of the Trials. However, the phase immediately following was an individual competition, and only I shall be advancing to the final phase. …Don't you remember?"

"…No," Kiba muttered, unnerved. "I don't remember making it to the tower."

"Hmm," Shino hummed thoughtfully.

_"(Are you feeling better now that that icky black stuff is out of you?)"_ Akamaru asked.

"'Icky black stuff'?" Kiba repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"In the individual tournament, you were pitted against Naruto," Shino supplied. "After he defeated you, you vomited some strange black substance that attempted to attack him."

"Eww!" Kiba shuddered. And then: "That loser beat me? No way! Me and Akamaru totally would've beaten his butt!"

_"(But you didn't let me fight with you,)"_ Akamaru whimpered, looking horribly sad.

"What?" Kiba yelped. "Why would I do that?"

_"(I don't know,)"_ Akamaru sighed. _"(But Naruto did beat you. His face got funny and he started smelling funny and then he started copying the Inuzuka taijutsu!)"_

"No way!" Kiba growled. "There's no way that clown could copy the four-legged beast style!"

"He appeared to," Shino shrugged; unbothered by his ability to only understand Kiba's half of the conversation. "In the beginning of your match, it looked like you would triumph. However, Naruto employed some mysterious ability that allowed him to mimic you almost perfectly…and match you blow-for-blow."

"Impossible! He must've cheated somehow!" Kiba protested, struggling up into a sitting position. "As soon as I get outta here, me and Akamaru are gonna find that loser and get a rematch! And we'll win together!"

_"(Right!)"_ Akamaru agreed with great enthusiasm.

The hospital room door slid open and Kiba's older sister strolled in.

"What's with all the yelling?"

"Eh, nothing," Kiba muttered, eying his older sibling nervously.

"Right," Hana drawled, giving him a suspicious look. "Well, it's good to see you up, little bro. From what the doctors were telling me, you're pretty lucky."

"Huh?" Kiba blinked dumbly.

"What they told me," she said, half-sitting at the end of his hospital bed, "was that a couple of other genin had the same unknown substance in their bodies, and not many of them got off as easy as you have. One died in the Forest of Death before the test even ended, another died in the hospital when they discovered that she was infected and they tried to remove it, and at least one more suffered permanent damage to their intestines before it could be extracted. You, however, should recover completely with a few days rest."

"You sure they had the same thing as I did?" Kiba squeaked, freaked out.

"Yeah, they were sure," Hana nodded. "How did you come into contact with that mysterious stuff anyway?"

"I dunno," Kiba shrugged nervously.

_"(Kiba and I smelled something funny so we went to find it and when I was sneaking up from the other side it must've gotten Kiba because after that his breath smelled bad and he felt sick!)"_ Akamaru babbled, eager to be helpful.

"You smelled something funny?" Hana asked dryly.

Kiba squirmed. "Umm…"

She frowned at him, got up, walked closer, and smacked the back of his head.

"Don't ever do something stupid like that again."

"I won't," Kiba promised, rubbing the new sore spot on his skull. "I totally won't!"

"Good," Hana grunted. "And thank that friend of yours, Naruto. If he hadn't hit you hard enough to make you puke that nasty stuff up, you might've ended up worse off."

"Oh…okay," Kiba sighed, wilting under his sister's heavy look.

Satisfied, his sister glanced over at Shino curiously.

"Say, where's the girl from your team?"

"She had to report to her father," Shino informed them. "Her match did not go well."

"Who did she fight?" Kiba asked.

"Neji," the bug-user answered grimly.

"Ouch," the Inuzuka boy hissed. "How bad did he beat her up?"

"He didn't have to lay a hand on her," Shino said. "He defeated her through words of intimidation alone."

"Good thing I was out of it, then," Kiba grunted. "Otherwise I would've punched that jerk in the face." _I don't see how anybody could be mean to Hinata. She's so harmless…it'd be like hurting a newborn puppy!_

"Naruto almost did that for you," the Aburame told him. "Had his sensei not held him back, it looked like he would have tried to do Neji bodily harm."

_What?_ Kiba scowled. _First I have to thank the guy for saving my butt and now I owe him for standing up for Hinata?_

_"(Naruto called him a bully,)"_ Akamaru yipped. _"(I don't think he likes bullies very much.)"_

"Have I met this Naruto kid before?" Hana wondered. "He's one of your friends, Kiba?"

"He—"

_"No way!"_ some nurse out in the hallway gasped loudly. _"Some Uchiha attacked some ANBU-nin?"_

Kiba blinked. _Say what…?_

_

* * *

_

Hinata slowly made her way to her room, confused and numb. Her report to her father had gone just as badly as she had expected. But the consequences of her loss left her mind whirling.

_"Your sensei has offered several times to allow you to live with her,"_ her father had said only a few minutes before. _"And now I find I must take her up on her offer at last. I must wash my hands of you. Hanabi is now heir of the Hyuuga. Go gather your belongings and leave within the hour. Return only three times a week to continue your training in the 'Gentle Fist' style."_

She had long expected to be disinherited, so that was no surprise. Nor was Hanabi becoming the new clan heir a shock. Yet her father had not mentioned any time or date of when she would be sealed into the branch family.

So…was she not going to receive the "caged bird" seal?

That was unheard of. Whenever the heir of the clan was decided, any other siblings would be sealed into the branch family. There were never any exceptions.

_Perhaps he will decide on a date to perform the sealing later,_ Hinata thought as she mechanically gathered her clothing, weapons, and few personal possessions together. _Yes, that must be it. Father is too disappointed in me to determine a date now…_

It was ironic that she looked forward to be sealed when many of her relatives dreaded it. But once she became one of the branch Hyuuga, her mediocrity would be much less of a disgrace to the clan than it was as a head Hyuuga. No one would expect anything great from her and she could fade into the comforting shadows of obscurity with all the crushing weight of expectation shed from her shoulders.

To her, the branch family was something like heaven. She didn't mind that she would be expected to serve her grandfather, father, and sister without question or complaint—she did that already. She wasn't bothered that she would have to protect and perhaps even have to die for the head Hyuuga. She loved her baby sister, and respected her elders, and would gladly be a branch Hyuuga for them.

_And…maybe when I am part of the branch family, Neji-nii-san will be able to let go of his hurt,_ she hoped as she finished her packing.

It was probably a forlorn hope, but she still clung to it tightly. She felt horrible for what had happened to his father, and for her inadvertent role in it. If only she hadn't been so weak and useless then, if only she'd been able to avoid being kidnapped or strong enough to escape on her own…

Hinata sighed sadly and gathered up her two bags. She slipped out of the back of her father's house and made her way to the back streets of the Hyuuga district. She'd already shamed her family enough; she refused to shame them further by leaving through the main ways so that the whole village would see her exile.

_Hopefully I won't be too much of a burden on Kurenai-sensei_, she worried as she walked.

She loved her sensei almost like a second mother. Kurenai was intelligent and patient, forgiving and strong. Hinata wished to be like her, though she knew it was impossible. Still, when her sensei encouraged her, Hinata did her best to be less of a disappointment.

The girl paused a few blocks from the Hyuuga district and adjusted her grips on her bags when a civilian man and woman walking in another direction passed by her.

"I'm not making this up!" the man protested. "I heard that an Uchiha got bitten by a werewolf inside the village!"

"Quit trying to freak me out," the woman scowled. "There's no way that a werewolf could get inside the village walls! And no Uchiha would ever get bitten. They're far too skilled and powerful."

"But I heard a shinobi talking about…"

Hinata watched them over her shoulder as they hurried out of her hearing range.

_…What?_

_

* * *

_

Itachi tried to be patient as he waited to be admitted to the Hokage's office. He'd been waiting for nearly an hour and the longer it took, the more he worried that some Uchiha would do something stupid out of panic. But, if there was any sort of truth to what Uruchi-san had said (and with his father's recent behavior, he feared that there was), it was best if he was on his best behavior to assure the Hokage that the Uchiha clan was still loyal.

_I hope you haven't done anything unforgivable, father…_

Finally the secretary gave him the signal that it was his turn and Itachi tried not to rush as he left his seat in the waiting area and headed for the office. He knocked politely on the door and entered after the Hokage gave him permission to enter. And then he walked inside and bowed to the old man standing by the panorama of office windows.

"Hokage-sama, thank you for seeing me on such short notice."

The Hokage looked tired. His lined face looked older than it normally did and his shoulders looked bowed. It really made Itachi wonder about what his father might've done.

"Thank you for waiting your turn," the old man replied. "What can I do for you, Itachi?"

"There are rumors in the Uchiha district that ANBU attacked several prominent members of the clan," Itachi said. "I wish to know if there is any truth to those rumors."

The Hokage grimaced like he'd bitten into a lemon.

"I was hoping that it would take longer for them to be missed, and several days until ANBU involvement was suspected."

"What has my father done, if I may ask?" Itachi inquired with dread.

"…Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Tekka, and Uchiha Yashiro were involved in an unsanctioned attempt to eliminate the genin Naruto. An ANBU assigned to look after the boy in the lull between the preliminary tournament and final phase of the Trials interrupted them with force. Regrettably Yashiro was killed and Shisui was gravely, perhaps fatally, injured, and Fugaku and Tekka both suffered minor wounds. All survivors are being held in an ANBU prison, pending on their punishments, which will be determined after it is clear whether or not Naruto will survive."

Itachi felt a terrible cold weight settle over him as he absorbed this information.

And then he thought of the troubled but not terribly threatening blond boy with the odd fashion sense.

_Father, I know that you do what you feel is right, but how can you justify this?_


	29. The Fine Line

**Chapter 28**

_The Fine Line_

_He was lost somewhere in a misty place. He couldn't decide if he was floating or standing. He couldn't really see anything or feel anything, but sometimes he'd catch muffled snatches of sound from far, far away._

"…only silver?"

"…this damage…"

"…poisoned. Badly poisoned."

"…do what we can…"

_What he heard didn't bother him much. It was like the meaning behind the words failed to register. All that mattered was that he was far away from the agony that had driven him to this strange place of nothingness._

_ He stayed there, unaware of time or place. Sometimes he'd hear things—_

"…not responding well…"

_—whispered voices—_

"…made it through the night…"

_—muddled words—_

"…wish Tsunade-sama was still around…"

_—but it all slid in one ear and out the other, forgotten just as quickly as he heard it. And sometimes he had the sensation of moving._

_ When he moved down, he would start to feel again. He'd feel the heaviness of his body, the burning throb of his wounds, the ache of his bones, the nausea churning up his throat. Every time it drove him back up, away, to where it didn't feel bad anymore._

_ And then, one time, he started to move up. It was like heavy chains were starting to loosen. He went higher and higher, bit by bit, and stopped hearing shreds of things and feeling unpleasant sensations._

_ He glided upwards like a leaf on the breeze…_

…A ten-year-old boy looked up at the grand front gates, decorated with swirly leaf patterns as the cart he was riding in rattled up to it and dully wondered what sort of place this Konohagakure no Sato was and how long it would take before the available foster families here had all kicked him out so that he had to move on to the next place…

_…he spiraled higher like a crane riding a thermal…_

…A seven-year-old sulked at the top of the stairs as he watched his foster family sit in the family room, watching TV together, all happy and perfect, but he wasn't one of them and he was only staying there to rack up their good karma points and surely in a few weeks he'd be gone someplace else, probably somewhere worse, and they would have long forgotten all about him because he was just another foster kid like all the rest…

_…he soared ever higher like a hunting eagle…_

…A five-year-old sobbed into a pillow that wasn't his in a room that wasn't his in a house that wasn't his surrounded by a family that he didn't belong to and for the first time in his life his mother didn't come to soothe him and make everything better, and she wouldn't come to him ever again because his grandfather had gotten rid of him and the only way he could get his mother back was if he became strong—stronger than his whole extended family!—and saved her from them…

_…he sailed high above the clouds at heights no bird could…_

…A three-year-old child stumbled away from his tormenters with his little hands tied behind his back and tin cans on strings tied to his tail as the much older children threw pebbles at his feet to keep him running so that the cans rattled and bounced and pulled and smacked him on the back and he was so scared—his mother came and cut off the cans and shouted at the naughty older children as she untied his hands and when they ran home to their mothers his mother gathered him up in her arms and rocked him until he stopped crying…

_…and then he reached the stars, seeking the sense of home that he'd always felt in his mother's arms._

_ He opened his eyes and found himself in a meadow full of blooming flowers of all shapes and colors. He lay there for a moment before slowly getting to his feet and looking around. It was quiet and peaceful and for a minute he thought that he was all alone there._

_ But then, several yards away, up on a small hill, he saw a woman. She had fancy layered robes in different shades of blue and long dark hair that made him think of his mother. She sat in profile to him, although the way her hair fell made it impossible to see her face, and there was something wrapped in blankets cradled in her arms._

_ Drawn to her like a magnet, he started walking over to the mysterious woman. But when he reached the base of the small hill, he was stopped short. Puzzled, he looked down at himself and spied a chain—pale white-blue and barely visible—coming out of his chest and disappearing down into the ground. The chain was pulled taut so he could go no further._

_ He scowled at the ghostly chain and pulled at it with his hands, determined to unhooked himself somehow so that he could reach the strange woman that made him think of his mother—_

_ "What are you doing here?"_

_ The woman had noticed him and he thought that her face was a lot like his mother's, although she was clearly someone else._

_ "Go back," the woman commanded, looking sad. "You don't belong here. Not yet."_

_ That made him really mad. He hadn't belonged in his mother's village, he hadn't belonged in any of the countless foster homes, and he hadn't really belonged in Konoha. If he didn't belong here, where the heck did he belong?_

_ He tugged on the chain harder, determined to stay._

_ "Go back!" the woman insisted, her human face starting to waver with hints of fox features flickering in and out of focus. "You're too young! You're much too young to die!"_

_ He paused, puzzled, and looked around much more closely._

_ The verdant meadow started to flicker, showing flashes of brown dead earth instead of spring flowers. The beautiful fox-woman's clothes went from silky and pristine to tattered and faded and back again. The bundle in her arms was a baby, he saw, but it was blue and small and withered and very clearly dead._

_ Fear seeped through the numb quasi-bliss he'd felt since arriving in this place and he shivered._

_ He didn't want to die without seeing his mother again._

_ "Go back, grandson, and live."_

_ The tight chain suddenly pulled him down through the dirt and he was falling through the void like a stone._

_ Falling, falling, falling—_

Naruto jerked and gasped. Everything hurt. He was all hot and sweaty. There was a prickling, burning sensation along the left side of his neck and in his left shoulder and low on his right side. He tried to swallow the queasiness that he felt but his throat was sore and raw.

"Guh," he grunted.

He tried to see where he was, but he'd either gone blind or he was in a pitch-black room. Feebly groping around, he was about to determine that he was in a bed but that was all. When he tried to sit up he only made himself dizzy, which made his unhappy stomach worse. All he managed to do was roll over to the side of the bed and throw up onto the floor.

Immediately came the shame and the dread. He'd very rarely gotten sick as a child (it was usually due to some kind of food poisoning), but when he had it had been awful. Either the current foster parent would loudly berate him as they cleaned up his mess or they would pull him out of bed and force him to do it. So any minute now (or whenever it was noticed) his current guardian would arrive and one of the two options would happen. Naruto yanked the sheets over his head in preparation.

There was a rustling sound and then a lamp clicked on. Naruto shivered and braced himself for the angry complaints. But the worst that he heard was a deep sigh and then the sounds of the wood floor being scrubbed clean. And then the sheet was pulled from over his head, blinding Naruto with the lamp light as a damp rag assaulted his face.

"H-hey!" Naruto croaked weakly.

The person, whoever it was, didn't seem moved by his protests. When the adult was satisfied that Naruto's face was clean, they left only to return with a glass of water and a bowl. Naruto was coaxed into rinsing his mouth out and then drinking the rest of the lukewarm water.

"There," the man—whose voice Naruto had never heard before—said. "Do you feel better now?"

"No," Naruto mumbled around chattering teeth.

His eyes just weren't adjusting to the light and now matter how Naruto squinted he couldn't see much of the man—his face was either in total shadow or washed out by the light. All he could tell about the man was that he was a complete stranger. Although, there was something oddly familiar about his smell…or part of his smell. If Naruto's head wasn't aching so much he might've puzzled over it more.

"Try to get back to sleep," the man said kindly. "You'll feel better soon."

Naruto moaned. He doubted he'd 'feel better soon'. If anything, he felt a bit worse than he had when he'd first woken up. He was sure it would be a lot longer than 'soon' before he felt like himself again.

"Don't hesitate to speak up if you need anything," the man continued, switching off the lamp.

The sudden return to total darkness made Naruto flinch. He wasn't scared of the dark or anything, but he liked just enough light—from under the door or cracks in the shades—so that he could see his surroundings once his eyes adjusted. But this room was perfectly dark with no light seeping in from anywhere. And this room (and the rest of the house) happened to be wholly unfamiliar to him, which gave the situation an added creepy factor.

He didn't hear the man leave. And since he hadn't heard the man open the door when he'd first appeared, it had to mean that the guy had been in the room the whole time. It unnerved Naruto even more.

And then he remembered what had happened in the alley with the Uchiha and the silver knife. His right hand slid over the spots on his neck, shoulder, and side where he'd been wounded and felt bandages and gauze. It was proof that it had really happened; that his old nightmare had become real.

Naruto cried like a baby. He was sick and hurt in a strange place (was he even in Konoha anymore?) with a strange person hanging around him in the dark and his nightmare wasn't a nightmare anymore but reality. He'd been attacked just like his grandfather had said would happen if he was found out. Even though he was supposed to be a tough demon-hunting ninja, right now he was just a kid who needed his mother.

"Naruto?" The man was back beside the bed and a hand gently gripped the boy's shoulder. "What's wrong? Is something hurting you?"

The boy cringed at the touch, and then grabbed the guy's arm. He didn't know why he went for a perfect stranger. Perhaps it was that weird déjà vu smell that he had. But Naruto needed some human contact that didn't include pointy, poison-dipped knives.

The stranger didn't seem weirded out by Naruto's suddenly clingy-ness. The man rearranged things so that he was sitting on the edge of the mattress and Naruto ended up in his lap. And while Naruto whimpered and cried, the man ran his fingers through his hair, sort of like one of the things his mother did when he was upset.

It didn't last long. Naruto's energy drained very quickly. And the comforting gesture from the stranger washed away fear that kept him awake and upset.

Within minutes he was out cold again.

* * *

Fugaku sat stone still in his cell deep within the ANBU prison. He didn't fidget or pace or mutter to himself. He simply stared at the blank stone wall with his right eye.

His left eye was gone.

There was a slash along one of his arms and a peppering of fading bruises, but it was superficial. It was nothing next to the destruction of one of his eyes. Somehow, someway the ANBU who dared to put out his eye would pay dearly.

His jaw tightened as he recalled the ANBU who had intervened in his disposal of the werewolf child. The man had been fast—incredibly fast. In a handful of seconds the wild ANBU had injured his eye and arm, stabbed Yashiro through the heart when the senior officer had tried to intervene, and out-sped Shisui, mauling the young Uchiha's arm and torso to the point that his death seemed likely. And then he tore the child from Tekka's arms while the officer was panicking over the bite the child had inflicted on his hand, vanishing with even greater and more disturbing swiftness.

_Such speed…_ Fugaku mused darkly. _I couldn't follow it, even if I'd had both my eyes. Only the _hiraishin's_ speed is beyond my perception…but that's impossible. Only Namikaze could employ that technique… And that ANBU was in the shape of a man, not a beast._

No werewolf had ever returned to human shape after being transformed into a beast by moonlight. There were tales that Madara had been able to so do, but everyone knew they were just exaggerations to make him a more terrifying villain. As frightening as the disease-ridden werewolf was, one that could disguise itself as a man once more was worse as it could spread its curse faster and more freely.

_I must find out who the man behind the wolf mask is,_ the Uchiha leader decided. _He is clearly an obstacle in ridding Konoha of another werewolf. He must be dealt with…_

_ He must pay for the blood of my clan that he has spilled…and for my eye._

_

* * *

_

When Naruto woke up again, there was only one thing on his mind: he had to pee really, really bad.

He slithered out of bed, and was a bit thrown because it wasn't a bed so much as a mattress laid directly on the wooden floor. He wasn't exactly sure how he managed to stand upright because he was horribly light-headed and stiff and moving certain ways hurt like hell. But somehow he got vertical, and then he staggered around the still pitch-black room until he found the doorknob.

The dimly lit hallway felt too bright to his eyes but he didn't have time to stop and let them adjust. He shuffled along, feeling like an old man, as he checked every single door with increasing urgency. He really, _really_ had to pee and he refused to piss his pants because he couldn't make it to the bathroom.

Finally, just as he felt like he was going to burst, he found the bathroom. He didn't even bother to close the door; he didn't have the time to waste. Some fumbling with his clothes and a little wobbling later and he finally found relief.

"Aah," Naruto sighed and sagged against the bathroom sink after he finished. "That was close…"

Then Naruto noticed that the pajamas he was wearing were not his. He didn't own any plain white T-shirts or blue flannel pants. And he didn't have any clothes that seemed so new. Most of what he owned was well-worn—either hand-me-downs from long-gone foster families or outfits from thrift stores. Half the time he didn't even bother with pajamas, he's just sleep in his shirt and underwear—

His tongue brushed against fangs, and then he noticed his claws, and he wondered if he'd partly shifted in his sleep or if he'd stayed part transformed from when the Uchiha had been after him and he just hadn't noticed the last time he'd been awake. Running his hands over his body, he found pointed ears and a barely-sprouted cottontail poking over the top of his pants. The joints in his ankles and feet were also a bit off, which had contributed to his difficulty in making it to the bathroom.

Frowning, Naruto set out to fix his appearance to fully human—

"Ow!" he whimpered.

It hurt! It hurt more than it had when he'd shaken off the transformation after his Kyuubi-possession episode. And it took three times longer for the tiny changes to happen. He especially had trouble getting rid of the claws on his left hand and fixing his right leg.

_Maybe…it's the silver?_ he wondered, remembering the wounds on his left shoulder and right hip.

Stubbornly Naruto pushed through the pain until he was done and then he slumped to the cold tile floor and lay on his back. He was exhausted from doing practically nothing. Naruto pouted and wondered if he'd be able to get up again.

_I wish tile was softer…_

The creak of footsteps on stairs made Naruto tense up in a flash of anxiety.

_"So he regained consciousness?"_ a muffled female voice asked.

_"Yes,"_ a familiar man's voice replied. _"He vomited, but afterwards he seemed fairly lucid."_

_ "He must be doing better for you to have left him alone…"_

The man and woman reached the top of the stairs and the sound of their footsteps changed slightly. They drew closer and closer to where Naruto lay, but stopped short. There was a sharp inhale and a few hurried steps and then a shadow loomed over Naruto's face.

"Naruto?" the man asked, his voice a bit tight with worry.

He was dressed in full ANBU gear—the black, sleeveless body-suit with the white armor, black gloves, short sword, and white ceramic mask. His was a canine-style mask with black markings painted on it, framed by spiky blond hair. Naruto was sort of annoyed that he couldn't see the man's face; first it was because of the lamplight and darkness, and now because of his mask.

"I had to pee," Naruto said sheepishly.

"Good, your kidneys are working," the woman's voice said from the hallway. "Hopefully you haven't reopened any of your wounds. Bring him back to the bedroom, Mangetsu, and I'll check him over."

The dog-masked ANBU sighed and gingerly scooped Naruto off the bathroom floor and carried him back to the room he'd woken up in. The lamp was on again, but it didn't seem so awfully bright anymore. As Naruto was carefully put back on the mattress, he noticed the woman ANBU removing cloth taped over a window which had been why the room had been so dark.

She, too, was dressed in full ANBU gear with a medic bag hanging from one shoulder. Her mask was a bird design with some brown accents. Her hair was short and black and it almost looked like a man's hairstyle.

"Let's take a look at you," she said after she'd finished.

The woman removing his shirt and then slowly unwrapped the bandages. She studied the injuries and then cleaned them with some medicinal fluid that smelled funny and stung a bit. After redressing the wounds she poked and prodded at him and asked a bunch of silly questions.

"Alright," the woman said, sounding satisfied. "You're doing much better, Naruto. But you'll need to take it easy. No strenuous activity until I say so."

"…But," Naruto protested, "how am I supposed to train for the final phase of the Trials?"

"Don't worry about that for now," Mangetsu told him. "Just focus on recovering."

Naruto pouted.

"Cheer up!" the woman ANBU snorted. "You almost died. There's no way you can make chuunin if you're dead."

"I almost died?" Naruto cocked his head. "Really?" _Sure, I felt super crappy, but…really?_

"The silver knife Fugaku used on you was coated with a powerful poison," she informed him as she reorganized her medic bag. "With the silver knocking out most of your natural healing talents, that poison almost finished you off. You're lucky that you're young, healthy, and that you heal fast even without your lycanthropic abilities."

Naruto shivered. Not only had people tried to kill him, they'd almost succeeded. It made him feel cold and small.

"You're on the mend now," she continued. "The poison has been neutralized and it has metabolized out of you system. Once the lingering effects of silver exposure have worn off and your stab wounds heal over, you'll be as good as new."

"Okay," Naruto muttered as Mangetsu helped him get the shirt back on.

"Start him off on bland food until you're sure that he can keep it down and make sure he stays hydrated," the woman said to the other ANBU and then she walked out of the room. "I'll be back tomorrow unless something else comes up."

"Thank you, Sparrow," Mangetsu said.

Naruto tugged at the hem of his shirt as he listened to Sparrow's footsteps retreat into silence as she left the house.

"So, Naruto, do you feel up to eating?" the remaining ANBU asked.

"I dunno," Naruto mumbled. "…Do…do you know what happened to the Uchiha who…"

"They are imprisoned pending Hokage-sama's decision on their punishment," Mangetsu told him. "You don't have to worry about them. Only Hokage-sama and a select number of ANBU know that you're here."

A bit of tension that Naruto hadn't realized he'd been feeling released and he curled up on his side on the mattress.

"Oh."

"Are you tired?" Mangetsu asked, sounding a bit concerned. "You want to wait for lunch?"

"It's noon?" Naruto blinked, glancing towards the now uncovered window.

"It is," the ANBU nodded. "…You should really try and eat something. You've been unconscious for several days."

"Days?" Naruto repeated stupidly. _That long?_

"Yes," Mangetsu said. "How about I make you some eggs? The next full moon is less than a week away and you'll need to get your strength up if you want to go outside then."

"Okay," the boy grudgingly agreed, still a bit too shaken up to feel really hungry. "…Why do I need to be stronger for the full moon?"

"Well," the man paused in the bedroom doorway. "If you aren't sufficiently healed, transforming with the full moon will not only set back your recovery, but it will hurt."

"How do you know that?" Naruto asked, both curious and suspicious.

"Personal experience," the ANBU said and left to go cook up some eggs.

Naruto frowned. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, his eyes drawn to an old water spot. For a good five minutes he puzzled over the masked adult's response.

"What does he mean…'personal experience'?" the boy huffed in the empty room.

_He can't mean that he's a werewolf, too…can he?_


	30. Broken Fan

**Chapter 29**

_Broken Fan_

Uzumaki Arashi grimaced as he walked into the smoky bar and looked for Konoha's spy. It wasn't hard to find the man. Not only was he fairly noticeable for his long white hair and impressive physical stature, he was flirting shamelessly with the barmaid, a pretty girl less than half his age.

_I can't believe I have to deal with this idiot…_

His first meeting with the Konoha-nin hadn't been too bad. The big oaf had been quiet, guarded, and had appeared fairly competent. But from the second meeting on, Jiraiya turned into a fool—a clown who flirted with anything young, female, and in possession of impressive assets. Arashi's opinion of the man took a steep nosedive from that day forwards and it only found ways to get lower.

He really couldn't believe this man was a favorite of Konoha's Hokage. And it was even harder for him to believe that his father was using him for a desperate but controlled reveal of the Kitsune race instead of just having him killed off to preserve the secret. Really, would anyone miss such an embarrassing buffoon?

But what he thought didn't really matter much. He was the youngest of four sons—the baby. Only his sister was younger and less respected…being a girl whose indiscretions completely ruined the clan's social standings and all.

_Whatever,_ Arashi thought as he ordered a drink and waited for the stupid Konoha-nin to notice him. _At least this errand gets me out of the village for an hour or two. That's something at least._

Uzushiogakure no Sato always had a bit of a tense atmosphere to it, but lately the sensation of tension had climbed up to eleven on the scale. Several children had gone missing without a trace and now it seemed doubtful that they'd ever be returned. The clans were beginning to become more introverted with each clan looking suspiciously at all the others. There were all sorts of whispers, wild rumors, and dark looks being tossed around.

Three factions now stewed behind Uzushiogakure's walls. The largest faction—and the only one with real power in the village—was headed by the Kurohi and also included the Biyokuchi, the Restukai, the Myoubikou, and the Kurokawa. The second faction was only a faction by virtue of the two clans'—the Kinomoto and the Akisame—utter obliviousness to the divisions forming within the village (when push came to shove, though, everyone knew they'd jump in with the Kurohi). And the final faction was formed by the Uzumaki, the Hoshitama, and the Furukawa—and they were further divided in two with the Uzumaki wanting immediate action and the other two clans bordering on inaction.

It was a complete mess.

Arashi hated it.

The dark-haired man grimaced as Jiraiya made grand boasts about his best-selling literature. He couldn't wait to deliver the note that contained more hard-earned intelligence gathered by his older brother, Kenshin, so that he could leave. It was torture watching someone do something that he was forbidden to do.

Ever since the Kitsune race had gone into hiding, sexual relationships with humans were forbidden. Kushina had gotten away with it as she was a woman and capable of disappearing into Uzushiogakure so that no human would see the tell-tale sign (there was always one) that the child was half-demon. But men who produced hanyou children were cut no such slack as the human mothers would instantly know something was wrong with the infants that they birthed.

Perhaps it was the lure of the forbidden, but Arashi found human women fascinating. There were so many more of them to choose from than there were Kitsune women and there was no obligation to marry one. In Uzushio he didn't dare have even a casual relationship with a girl for fear that her family would twist his arm into marrying her before he had made up his mind if she was the right one.

_I really wish I lived somewhere else,_ Arashi sulked and sipped at his ale. _Like happy, sunny Konoha, for example. A big, stable village like that is always happy and pleasant…_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke wished that Kakashi had arranged for them to train somewhere outside of Konoha. A pall hung over the Uchiha district. No one left their house unless they absolutely had to. They traveled in groups, eying non-Uchiha suspiciously and fearfully spreading rumors. Everyone was on edge.

Uchiha Fugaku had not returned. Uchiha Yashiro was confirmed dead. And Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Shisui's survival was unknown.

No one wanted to believe that the clan head had attempted to kill a Konoha genin. It had to be a lie! And if it was somehow true, Fugaku had to have a very good reason. The genin in question had to be dangerous—an undocumented hanyou, a latent werewolf, a shape-shifting demon playing changeling, _something_!

Sasuke had no idea what to think. When he'd returned from the Forest of Death and walked into the crisis of "Uchiha attacked by ANBU" he'd been stunned into shocked numbness. Hearing the truth that his brother had brought back from his visit with the Hokage had been worse.

A lot about Naruto hadn't added up or made sense, which had bothered Sasuke. But he'd never thought that that made the blond idiot genuinely dangerous. Nor had he ever imagined that his father had plans for killing Naruto, let alone that he would carry out those plans.

_"Why?"_ his mother had asked his brother that evening. _"Why would he do that? What reason could he have had?"_

_"He believed that Naruto was a werewolf,"_ Itachi had replied.

That had explained his father's actions somewhat. Sasuke remembered the lesson his father had given him on their shameful ancestor, Madara, and how he had brought the disease of lycanthropy to their continent. It was the Uchiha clan's duty to destroy all werewolves to keep the curse from spreading and to expunge the old stain on their family name.

As unbelievable as Naruto being a werewolf was, it sort of made sense. It explained Naruto's match against Kiba. Latent werewolves (those who had yet to transform by the light of the full moon) had minor healing powers, weakness to silver, and they sometimes would transform a bit under severe stress. And perhaps it even explained the strange Kyuubi-connected episode of Naruto's that Sakura had reported; the evil of his curse had somehow made some connection with the evil energies of the giant Kitsune skeleton…or something.

But when had Naruto been bitten? It certainly hadn't happened when he'd been in Konoha. If that had happened, it wouldn't have taken very long for everyone to know about it. So Naruto had to have been bitten before he came to the Leaf Village.

_"If…Naruto is a werewolf…why is father in jail?"_ Sasuke had asked his brother.

_"One does not simply kill a demon-hunter-turned-werewolf,"_ his brother had explained. _"Hokage-sama must sanction such an act…and Hokage-sama did not approve of what father has done. Instead, Hokage-sama is treating father's action as an assault against one of his sworn ninja, and he will decide father's punishment accordingly."_

_"But why would Hokage-sama protect a werewolf?"_ Sasuke had sputtered, utterly baffled.

_"It is no crime to be afflicted with the werewolf curse, Sasuke,"_ Itachi had told him. _"It is only a tragedy. If Naruto is deemed to not be an immediate threat, there is no reason to eliminate him. There have been others in the past that have lived months or even years after contracting the curse, and very few of them ever succumbed to it and became dangerous."_

Between training sessions Sasuke had visited the ninja archives to confirm what Itachi had told him, because it had sounded so ridiculous compared to what he knew of lycanthropy. Most ninja who contracted lycanthropy committed suicide shortly afterwards, but there were a few exceptions who chose to try and live with it. The oldest case recorded shortly after the village's founding was of a Senju who had survived for almost two decades by remaining secluded indoors during nights of the full moon to avoid being consumed before eventually committing suicide (although one record Sasuke managed to find insinuated that the Uchiha may have assassinated her and made it look like a suicide). Another example that jumped out at him was Hatake Sakumo, who lived for nearly a year before ending his life out of shame over his condition. And the most recent example (if Naruto wasn't counted) was a man named Namikaze Minato who had kept his curse secret for years (no one was entirely sure how long) and actually succumbed from exposure to the full moon, yet he didn't harm anyone and disappeared, his ultimate fate undetermined.

Of all the latent werewolves he'd looked at, Namikaze Minato stuck out the most in his mind (Hatake Sakumo came in a close second). In one of the reports on the jounin that he'd had the clearance to look at, he'd found a picture. The resemblance to Naruto had been uncanny and he'd meant to ask his mother about it…

However, when he'd returned home that evening and seen the strain on his mother's face he hadn't gone through with it. Sasuke had considered asking his older brother, but Namikaze had left the village when his brother had barely been five years old so he wasn't sure if Itachi would know much of anything about him. And with the curse mark on his shoulder, he didn't feel comfortable talking to any of his relatives about anything, let alone shameful Konoha werewolves.

_"…Mom, what do you think the clan will do if they find out about the mark?"_

_ "They…well, they'll disown you, at the least,"_ his mother had reluctantly told him. _"But don't you worry about it. We'll figure out some solution!"_

He felt awful for his mother. Over the past few days (it was hard to remember that it had only been days and not weeks) she had barely slept and looked more and more haggard. With father gone she was slowly bending under the strain of leading the clan without him.

Itachi wasn't doing much better. Instead of patrolling the streets of Konoha as a Military Police officer he spent most of his time comforting Uchiha clansmen, arguing with the elders, meeting with the Hokage, and trying to help their mother. Sasuke barely saw him and had lost all hope of having his brother give him a training session.

_Father, did you really have to do it?_ Sasuke wondered as he walked towards the exit of the Uchiha district on his way to his training. _I know the clan has to get rid of werewolves, but couldn't you have waited until it was decided that he was dangerous? Couldn't you have found some other solution?_

Sasuke didn't particularly like Naruto. The boy was loud, stupid, had terrible taste in clothing, and was terribly behind them in his ninja skills. It was irritating to have to work with him and Sasuke was looking forward to getting a new team that didn't include an infatuated girl and a loudmouthed clown. But he didn't want Naruto to die—

Lost in thought, Sasuke accidentally knocked into an older Uchiha. The boy swallowed and started to apologize, cringing when he noticed who it was. Uchiha Setsuna was one of the clan elders, and one of the sternest of all of them.

"Setsuna-sama, I—"

"You need to be more alert," the old man scolded. "Such inattention to your surroundings could lead you to blunder into a demon nest!"

"I'm sorry, Setsuna-sama," Sasuke gulped, bowing deeply in apology. "I was busy thinking of my training."

"Less wandering in thought and more doing," Setsuna barked. "You have a long road ahead of you if you hope to attain the skill and power of Itachi!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth. As much as he loved his older brother, it grated on him to be constantly compared to him and told to be like him. He felt so lost in Itachi's shadow that sometimes he wondered if some clan members realized that he wasn't just some other young Uchiha but the clan heir's younger brother.

"I understand, Setsuna-sama," Sasuke said, bowing again. "I will work harder."

"See that you do," the elder grumbled. "The clan needs every strong ninja it has to be ready…"

The boy was puzzled by the old man's statement, but nodded in agreement anyway and hoped that he would be forgotten soon.

"There are many disturbing and ugly rumors floating about," Setsuna continued, clasping a hand to Sasuke's shoulder. "Whispers of Orochimaru interfering in the Trials, werewolves within the walls of the village, and Konoha turning against us—the clan most capable of defending the village from such evils! Itachi may be talented, but he is young and too cautious without the guidance of Fugaku. Perhaps…that is what the Hokage is counting on…Itachi's youthful inaction. In any case, we must be prepared for any possibility—is your shoulder alright, boy?"

Throughout the old Uchiha's ramblings, the curse mark started to throb. It did that whenever he got angry, frustrated, or anxious—and Setsuna's paranoid ideas had made him increasingly nervous. Sasuke might've been able to hide his reactions if the old man hadn't been gripping his marked shoulder and hadn't squeezed it more with every sentence. The boy simply hadn't been able to hide his flinches.

"It's fine," Sasuke lied as calmly as he could manage. "I may have bruised it a bit yesterday."

"Oh, let me see…" the man frowned and started to move aside Sasuke's shirt collar.

"It's really nothing, Setsuna-sama," Sasuke squeaked, trying to duck away but unable to escape the old man's tight grip. "I need to get going or I'll be late—"

"That thief can wait," the elder grunted. "He's known for his tardiness."

Before Sasuke could reign in his panic and spit out some other excuse, Setsuna uncovered what he was trying to hide. Due to his sudden flare of stress, the curse mark and its encircling seal were probably easily visible. But regardless of whether or not it had appeared on his skin, Setsuna detected it and confirmed it with his Sharingan.

"…I suppose your mother tried to hide this," the elder said coldly. "I always felt that she persuaded Fugaku to have another child so that she had something to coddle."

"I need to go train—"

Sasuke's feeble squeak was cut off by Setsuna taking his elbow in an iron grip and dragging him back towards the heart of the district.

"Forget your training," the elder Uchiha snarled. "It's meaningless now. This is vitally important clan business."

* * *

Itachi grimaced as he was escorted by two ANBU down to the prison cell where his father was locked away. He wasn't visiting for fun or out of affection, but due to obligation. The clan wanted to know how he was doing, and only a face-to-face meeting would satisfy them. And his father was no doubt curious to know what was going on with the rest of the Uchiha.

It had taken days for the Hokage to give his permission for this meeting. He didn't envy the old man at all for all the problems he had to be juggling at this moment—Fugaku's treacherous actions, the unrest in the village, securing the village against further visits from Orochimaru, and the Trials that were still underway. Itachi felt bad for pestering the village leader for this opportunity, but it had to be done.

He was led to an isolated cell that was flanked by two more ANBU. The cell bars had seal papers attached to them, and he was sure that there were seals on his father's body as well, to insure that the Uchiha leader wouldn't be going anywhere. The man sat stiff and proud in profile (keeping his good side that still had an eye to the bars), facing the wall.

"Father," Itachi murmured when Fugaku failed to acknowledge his presence.

"Itachi," Fugaku said in reply. "You have news for me?"

"The clan is upset," the clan heir informed him. "Mother is distraught. The village is uneasy. …Are you satisfied?"

"Was the target eliminated?" the clan head asked.

"If Naruto had expired, I'm sure that your sentence would have been decided by now," Itachi responded grimly.

"Then our sacrifice is in vain," Fugaku muttered bitterly. "The longer it lives, the more likely its healing powers will return and restore its strength. What a waste."

"Indeed," Itachi agreed. "Yashiro is dead and Shisui expired yesterday, all because you wanted to kill a boy who happens to suffer from lycanthropy."

It had pained him to learn of Shisui's death. His older cousin had been his best friend, although in recent years they'd begun to grow apart. He'd looked up to Shisui and appreciated his ability to think outside of the Uchiha-box. But his injuries had just been too severe, and even if a medical genius like Tsunade had been available he would've survived as a cripple, without any useful function in his dominant arm.

"And what of Tekka?" Fugaku inquired grimly. "He was bitten."

"By an untransformed child," Itachi said. "It is common knowledge that werewolves are minimally contagious in human form. And Tekka was otherwise uninjured and his system full of chakra. Even if he had contracted the curse, his body would've easily fought it off before it could permanently take hold. He has more to fear from mundane infection from the bite than anything, and he is getting antibiotics for that."

Of course, in spite of this, Itachi had heard that the man had attempted suicide at least once so far, and would probably succeed should he be released from his cell.

"The target was Namikaze Minato's spawn; I'm certain of it," Fugaku grunted. "For all we know, its bite could be exponentially more contagious. He needs to be silver tested for a full month until we can be sure that he hasn't contracted the curse."

"If that will ease your mind," Itachi agreed. _Although that might not deter Tekka from his choice; he's too proud._

"How did Sasuke do?" Fugaku asked.

"He passed the Forest of Death section," Itachi informed him. "Both the team survival test and the individual preliminary tournament."

"Very good," the clan head nodded, a hint of pleasure creeping into his tone. "Spare whatever time you can to train him."

Itachi forced back a grimace. His father wanted Sasuke's performance in the arena to be excellent to remind the world of the Uchiha's power and to emphasize that to the village. He wanted Sasuke's fight to be a statement, no doubt.

"If I am able to," Itachi replied. "Trying to manage the unrest your actions have caused take up all of my time."

"Delegate clan management to cousin Izuna," Fugaku instructed. "I trust his judgment. He will know what must be done. Focus on Sasuke. Hatake cannot be trusted, especially now."

Itachi made no reply. He thoroughly disagreed with his father's thoughts. And he had no intention of delegating to the Uchiha of his father's choice. Izuna had already tried to influence Itachi's policy of dealing the clan and he didn't like what his adult cousin thought should be done.

"Tell your mother to be strong," the clan leader continued. "As the target is unlikely to die by this point, I will be eventually released—probably when the Hokage has recovered from the embarrassment of the Uchiha uncovering a werewolf that he either didn't notice, or willfully hid from the village. Make sure that Sasuke does his best."

The clan heir knew a dismissal when he heard it and didn't waste any time in leaving.

"Farewell, father."

Itachi clenched his teeth as his two ANBU escorts led him out of the prison and back to the fringes of the village. As a child, he had once looked up to his father with a reverence almost as strong as Sasuke's. But as he'd grown and met and worked with other ninjas, his view of the world had widened beyond the Uchiha-centric lines that he'd been raised to think in. He still greatly respected his father's skill and experience, but his arrogance and stubbornness wore on him. And now it was biting the clan in its collective behind.

To bleed off his frustration, Itachi took the long way home. He walked part of his usual patrol and admired the fine weather. He almost stopped at a snack stand to feed his sweet tooth, but decided that he should head home and talk with his mother. The strain that she was suffering from due to Fugaku's imprisonment and Sasuke's curse mark made him worried.

_I wish mother had more friends outside of the clan._ He tilted his head thoughtfully as he walked under the archway that signified the border between the Uchiha district and the rest of the village. _I wonder what happened to that red-haired kunoichi she used to have lunch with sometimes… She was funny._

When Itachi reached his home, he wished that he'd hurried. The clan elders, headed by Setsuna, were gathered in front of the house, his mother was trying not to cry, and Sasuke was as white as a sheet. It was painfully clear what was going on.

Before he had learned of his father's mistake, he'd hoped that he would have time to find an apartment outside of the clan district so that Sasuke could move in with him and avoid being scrutinized by the rest of the Uchiha. After his father had disgraced himself, Itachi had hoped to talk his mother into moving out or setting up an apartment for Sasuke alone because he couldn't leave the district and keep the Uchiha in line at the same time. But now the choice was taken out of his hands.

He'd known that the curse mark would come to the clan's attention eventually; he'd just hoped that it would take longer.

"Come Sasuke, I'll walk you to practice," Itachi sighed. He flashed the elders a cold look. "And when I return, we'll talk…"

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen dearly wished that he could take some time off for a nap. But just about everything that could go wrong except Naruto throwing a fit over being placed in his father's custody had gone wrong, and a few things he hadn't anticipated, too. And as he was trying to enjoy an early lunch with his wife, yet another thing decided to go wrong.

"Hokage-sama," an ANBU murmured apologetically, peeking in the window. "The Uchiha have discovered Sasuke's curse mark, disowned, and exiled him."

"Alert Kakashi and tell him to clean off his couch," the old man sighed.

The masked ninja gave a sharp nod and vanished.

"That poor boy," Biwako sighed. "Perhaps we ought to invite him to live with us. If he stays with Kakashi the Uchiha might get more insulted."

"Now that he's disowned, they should no longer care as he isn't one of them anymore," the Hokage sighed and sipped at his tea. "And isn't Konohamaru enough for you?"

"Maybe Konohamaru will calm down more with an older brother figure in the house," his wife replied. "And it would be an interesting challenge to break him of his narrow-minded Uchiha-centric view. We need more Uchiha who can think about the world beyond their clan."

"I can't argue with that," the old man smiled thinly. "Invite him if you want, but I don't see him agreeing."

"You never know," Biwako responded, worrying her husband a bit that she might try to bully the boy into it. "So, how goes your attempts to drive the fox out of the henhouse?"

"Not well," Hiruzen grimaced and stirred at the remains of his rice. "Kasshoku shows no interest in leaving on his own after I politely suggested it. It was very unfortunate timing for him to have discovered his ANBU tail on that morning, so we have no proof that it was him spreading those rumors so quickly about that incident. I'd have him escorted out forcibly if it wouldn't clue in the leaders of Uzushiogakure that I am highly suspicious of them."

"If only we could just assassinate him," Biwako complained.

"That would lead to war sooner rather than later, dear," Hiruzen frowned.

"I know," she sighed irritably. "It would make things simpler in the short-term—one less problem to worry you—but we have to think in the long-term."

The Hokage reached across the table and took his wife's hand.

"Whatever else decides to go wrong, I'm sure that I'll find some way through it so long as I have you around to keep me sane."

"You and your cheesy lines, Hiruzen!" Biwako grumbled, although she was smiling.

The old leader chuckled.

_At least things aren't so grim that I can't get Biwako-chan to smile._

_

* * *

_

Umino Iruka really didn't know how he'd held it together when he'd taught his younger students. As it was, he hadn't gotten through half of the lesson that he'd planned, partly out of his distraction and partly because the wild rumors running through the village had his students rowdy and full of whispers. But classes were out for the day and he had a personal mission to accomplish.

When Naruto hadn't returned from the Forest of Death by dinnertime, Iruka had gone out to look for him. It hadn't taken him long then to uncover the storm of wildly multiplying rumors that had terrified him. He'd gone to find Hatake Kakashi, hoping that the jounin's higher-level connections could shed some light on the situation and been horrified.

The Uchiha clan had determined that Naruto was a werewolf and had tried to kill him. ANBU had interrupted them and rescued him. Naruto was receiving medical attention in a secure location. The offending Uchiha were either dead or incarcerated in an ANBU prison.

And that was it.

Iruka checked in with Kakashi everyday but the jounin never had anything new to tell him. The silver-haired ninja didn't know what ANBU was assigned to guard Naruto or where the boy was being kept. All he could say was that Naruto wasn't dead yet.

That just wasn't enough for Iruka.

He was supposed to be the boy's guardian and was responsible for his welfare. He'd had a bit of trouble when Naruto's lycanthropic nature had come to light, but after seeing that it hadn't changed the boy any—he was still class-clown Naruto—he'd done his best to treat him normally. It wasn't Naruto's fault that his father was a werewolf, which had led to the boy becoming a werewolf too. And if Hokage-sama didn't have a problem with the boy's curse, Iruka would find a way to deal with it as well.

_I need to know if he's alright,_ Iruka thought as he walked to the Hokage Tower. _ I need to know who's watching him. I'd like to see him if I'm allowed…bring him his clothes…and if he's not badly injured I could bring him some reading material to further his studies._

He'd been reluctant to bother the Hokage, as worried as he was about Naruto, because he knew that the village leader would be very busy with all sorts of problems in addition to the usual stress of the Trials. But he just couldn't sit by and wait for Kakashi to uncover something of substance, or for someone to decide that he deserved be informed of Naruto's condition. So he'd just stop the Hokage's office and respectfully request further information.

Iruka considered himself lucky that he didn't have long to wait between speaking with the Hokage's secretary and being granted entry to the village leader's office. The chuunin tried not to be nervous, but the weary look on the Hokage's face made him worry that his request would be denied. Naruto's well-being was important to him, though, so he steeled his nerves and made his request.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Hokage-sama, but I was wondering if—"

_"Hey, wait!"_ the secretary yelped from beyond the door. _"You need to wait your turn!"_

The office door creaked open and a red-headed kunoichi with blue-gray eyes poked her head in.

"Hi, Hokage-sama!" she chirped. "You're not too busy right now, are you? I'd like to drop a scroll off real quick."

Iruka blinked. _Who is that?_

"I was talking to one of my chuunin," the Hokage sternly informed her, "but you may put this scroll of yours on my desk and wait until we are finished. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you before you run off."

"Alright," she agreed and slipped into the office, ignoring the annoyance of the secretary.

Her hair was very red and very long, hanging straight down her back. She was dressed almost entirely in black with only a reddish obi belt to break up the black of her pants and kimono-style shirt. There was a dusty pack slung over her shoulder from which she extracted a large, formal-looking scroll.

"This is from my father," the kunoichi said. "I'm sure that you already know a lot of what's in it, but he felt it was important to formally deliver the information by hand. I can't say I can complain—it got me back here!"

"Indeed it did, Kushina," the Hokage nodded. "Hopefully you can help me drive out a pest from your village while you're here."

_Her village?_ Iruka frowned. _She's a foreign ninja? How can she get away with such casual conversation with Hokage-sama?_

"That Biyokuchi weasel? Sure," she grinned. "And…and they'll be time in there somewhere for Naruto, right?"

"Of course," the old man smiled kindly. "I'll make arrangements for you to see your son very soon."

Iruka twitched.

_What?_


	31. Wrath and Gloom

**Chapter 30**

_Wrath and Gloom_

Kushina was absolutely on edge. She was so close to her son. But she had to wait. Naruto seemed to be busy, and the old man apparently needed to make arrangements so that she could see him. And the old man was busy with one of his chuunin…so she would wait.

Masking her anxiety with her usual cheerful demeanor, she turned to go wait outside the Hokage's office—

"You can wait here if you promise to be quiet," the Hokage told her.

"Okay," Kushina agreed with a bit of a pout and shifted direction from the office doors to prop her shoulder against the back wall.

The chuunin that she'd preempted looked young, not much older than twenty if he was even that old. He was dressed in the standard chuunin (and jounin) uniform with his medium-length hair up in a high ponytail and a horizontal scar over the bridge of his nose. It didn't seem that he had much of a sense of humor as he looked at her suspiciously, probably annoyed that she'd barged in on his little meeting.

"Iruka, you were saying?" the Hokage prompted, catching the chuunin's attention.

"Ah, yes," the chuunin coughed. "I was wondering if I could visit Naruto."

_Why does __**he**__ want to visit with Naruto?_ Kushina wondered, immediately suspicious. _Who is this Iruka character?_

"Or, if I could at least hear more details on his condition," Iruka added.

_His condition?_ Her jaw tightened. _What the hell does he mean by that?_

"I had a feeling that that was what you were going to ask about," the Hokage said. "At this time I can't arrange a meeting for you, but I can tell you that Naruto is doing much better. Hopefully by the time of the next full moon he should be back to normal or very close to it."

_What the hell happened?_ her mind screamed as she bit her tongue to keep quiet.

"That's very good to hear," Iruka replied. "But, I can't see him? You promised her visitation."

"She is Naruto's mother, she's come from very far away to see him, and if I told her 'no' she would tear this village apart to find him," the Hokage explained.

"Would she?" was Iruka's dubious response.

At that moment, Kushina decided that she did not like this chuunin. She did not like his attitude or appreciate his suspicion of her. Had she been standing close enough to him, she would've hit him.

"I would if I had to," she snapped, unable to stay mute. "Are you done talking to him now? Because it's very clear to me that things have changed since I got on the road to come here."

"I do believe we are done," the Hokage sighed, "unless you have anything else to add Iruka?"

"No, Hokage-sama," the chuunin murmured with a bow. "Thank you for seeing me."

Kushina glowered at the chuunin's retreating back. When he was gone from the office, she turned to the leader of the Leaf. The grim look on the old man's face made her anxiety level shoot through the roof.

"What happened?"

The Hokage sighed again and removed his hat, running a hand over his receding hairline.

"Somehow Fugaku came to suspect Naruto of being a werewolf, and instead of openly protesting his presence, he tried to go behind my back and eliminate the boy," he told her.

At first what he was saying didn't register. Fugaku was a class-A jerk, but he was a complainer. He wasn't ballsy enough to touch her son.

But Minato was gone. She had been in Uzu, and he had no idea that she was here now (and even if he had known, it probably wouldn't have worried him as he had never thought much of her). Perhaps he hadn't even realized that Naruto was their child. And if he thought he could take out a hated werewolf without the Hokage being able to stop him…

There wasn't enough fear or caution to hold him back.

He would do it.

He _did _do it.

_I'll kill him,_ she thought. _I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll kill him, I'll—_

"He failed, Kushina," the old man told her, and a corner of her mind wondered when he'd left his desk to grab her shoulders. "ANBU stopped him. Naruto is alive and on the mend. He is in a secure location under ANBU guard. You should be able to visit him tomorrow afternoon. Fugaku is in prison and I will keep him there for as long as I can. Those who helped him are either imprisoned or dead."

It was like she couldn't catch her breath. The burning need to rend the bastard into a million pieces, incinerate the bits, and then spit on the ashes, pounded in her brain. Her dampening crystal hummed—not a sound, but a sensation in her chakra—with the strain of preventing her from spontaneously transforming. She really didn't care for the logic that the Hokage was throwing at her.

"If memory serves, Uchiha Mikoto is your friend," the old man said, taking a different angle. "I don't believe she'd appreciate it if you murdered her husband."

Kushina hissed and trembled with fury.

"And should you seek vengeance on Fugaku, you will be sabotaging your clan's hopes of being Konoha's allies separate from Uzushiogakure," he continued. "I don't think your family would be very happy about that."

She gnashed her teeth in rage.

"You really need to calm down," the Hokage commanded sternly. "I don't have the ANBU to spare to make sure that you don't do anything foolish."

An ugly guttural growl slipped from her throat and she shook herself.

"Permission to find a training ground and blow something up, Hokage-sama?" she managed to choke out.

"Go ahead," he nodded. "I'll send someone to bring you to your living quarters later."

"Thank you," Kushina grunted and stalked off to vent.

_I should've pushed through the rain,_ she thought bitterly as she stormed through the Tower, heedless of the administrative ninja who had to scamper out of her way. _I should've sprinted here. If only I'd made it in time…_

_ Prison is too good for that asshole!_

_

* * *

_

Kabuto left his favorite herbal shop with a bag full of ingredients for a dozen poisons and antidotes. With current events the way that they were he felt it necessary to stock up. Who knew when it would come in handy?

_The Uchiha have really overstepped themselves this time,_ he thought, pushing his glasses up his nose. _There were always rumors that they found ways to secretly eliminate full blown werewolves that had been captured for study over the decades, but there was never any proof. Genjutsu that excites a subject to the point that their heart gives out are impossible to detect after death. But this…_

And the fact that the victim was Naruto, the boy with no last name and a whole lot of holes in his background, piqued Kabuto's interest even more. He would've liked to dig harder to gather information on the boy, but he risked drawing unfortunate attention to himself. However, if things calmed down maybe he could—

"Excuse me, but are you Yakushi Kabuto?"

The genin medic paused and found a man with dark brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a foreign hitai-ate speaking to him.

"Yes, I am," Kabuto answered politely. "Can I do something for you, sir?"

"I hope so," the stranger replied. "I've heard that you're the person to see about snake bite remedies."

"I do know a thing or two about snake bites," Kabuto admitted modestly. "If you'll follow me home so that I can drop off my purchases I'd be happy to share my knowledge."

"Lead the way," the stranger smiled.

Kabuto returned his smile and he'd back to his apartment, the stranger shadowing him.

_So, this is the Uzu-nin that Orochimaru-sama wants me to assist. Interesting. I'll have to take notes on him as well._

_

* * *

_

Sasuke couldn't focus.

_"There is only one course of action here."_

He tried to run through the basic agility course that Kakashi had laid out for him.

_"We cannot afford to harbor any taint within the clan."_

But the weights he had to wear were heavy and he kept tripping.

_"From this day forth, you are Uchiha no more."_

When he got to the targets, his kunai went wide, a few even missing the painted rings entirely and zipping off into the surrounding trees.

_"Leave our lands and never return."_

It had been a very long time since he'd performed so poorly.

_"You are dead to us."_

He just couldn't focus.

"Enough, Sasuke," Kakashi said, stopping the boy from trying the course a third time. "Come sit down."

Sasuke obeyed and trudged over to where the jounin was standing. The weights strapped to his wrists and ankles slowed him down even further. When Sasuke reached the silver-haired ninja he flopped down onto the grass without a word.

He was supposed to be training to boost his speed to take advantage of his balanced and improved Sharingan…but he just couldn't keep his mind on it.

He was clanless. He was homeless. He was dead to the people he cared for most. There didn't seem much point in trying. What was there to fight for?

"There's no point in training if you can't keep your mind focused," Kakashi said. "So let's get your head in order."

Sasuke felt no enthusiasm for this idea. What he wanted was for time to rewind so that the curse mark was back to being a secret, or—even better—back to before he'd even had the mark branded into his skin. There was no other way to make his world right again so that he could focus on improving his skills.

"It may feel like the end of the world, but it isn't," his jounin mentor told him.

"How would you know?" Sasuke snapped, suddenly angry instead of numb. "You've never been cast out like trash!"

"No," Kakashi readily admitted. "But my friend was after his death." The jounin briefly touched his crooked hitai-ate that covered his implanted Sharingan eye. "I don't suppose you've ever heard a word about Uchiha Obito, have you?"

"…No," the boy hesitantly replied. "What did he do wrong?"

"He gave me his eye as he lay dying," the jounin explained. "When the Uchiha were unable to pressure the Hokage into forcing me into giving up the Sharingan, they disowned him in death and erased all records of his existence that they could. They considered him a traitor."

"But…why?" Sasuke frowned. "It's not like he gave his eyes to an enemy or a foreign village."

"I'm not an Uchiha," Kakashi shrugged. "It probably didn't help any that they already didn't think much of me. I am the last of my line, and my father died in deep disgrace which didn't reflect well on me in their view."

"…Your father?" Sasuke asked slowly.

When he'd uncovered the name "Hatake Sakumo" he'd wondered how closely he was related to his sensei, but he'd never asked the jounin about it. From the first training session after the Forest of Death, Sasuke had the feeling that Kakashi was a bit frosty towards him. He didn't know if the jounin suspected him somehow in Naruto's attack, or if his mildly guilty conscience was just twisting the man's normal laid-back attitude into something less friendly in his own mind. So he'd never brought up the subject of werewolves and just kept his mind completely on whatever training the jounin set him to for the day.

"He contracted lycanthropy," his sensei said matter-of-factly. "The Uchiha have a vendetta against werewolves to the point that I was suspicious by association."

Sasuke fidgeted with one of his wrist weights before gathering up the nerve to take advantage of the subject brought up.

"Was he different after he was bitten?"

"…It's hard to say," was Kakashi's unhelpful answer.

The boy furrowed his brow in confusion and peeked up at his teacher's face. What little he could see of Kakashi's expression was as uninformative as it usually was. He frowned a bit and internally debated on whether or not he should ask again.

The lecture on werewolves had taught that victims of the curse suffered changes in personality before exposure to the full moon caused them to fully succumb. They usually became increasingly irritable, aggressive, irrational, and paranoid. Naruto hadn't seemed to possess those traits, but he could be an atypical werewolf whose only outward sign before changing with the moon was silver sensitivity.

_Naruto has to be some kind of mutant werewolf,_ Sasuke thought, remembering his fight against the Inuzuka. _The changes in his face—his eyes and those stupid marks on his cheeks—it wasn't like anything they taught in the Academy or in the old records I read. And the restraint he exercised… When latent werewolves go feral from stress they're supposed to be like wild animals—no distinction between friend or foe, no ability to stop their attack unless they're knocked out. Naruto didn't try to kill Kiba or tear him into pieces when he was down. As soon as he was out, Naruto stopped going after him._

_ Werewolves aren't supposed to be able to do that. Not in that state. And he has to be a werewolf. Father wouldn't have gone after him like that if he wasn't…_

"He changed," Kakashi said suddenly. "But I'm not sure if the curse was the real cause of it. I think his fear of what he might become if he wasn't careful, and the wary stares and whispers of the village as they waited for him to break, was what did it." The jounin pulled out a kunai and used it to cut a few frayed threads hanging from one sleeve. "My sensei never acted like my father did."

Sasuke blinked and opened his mouth to ask—

"Kakashi-san, Sasuke, you're using this field?"

The boy and his teacher turned to see Iruka wandering into view. The Academy chuunin didn't look like he was in a particularly good mood. But he nodded to them politely as he approached for their answer.

"We're on break right now," Kakashi replied, swapping his kunai for his little orange book with the mature content warning stamped on it. "If you've come for information, I don't have anything new yet."

"Actually, I might have some information for you," Iruka snorted. "Apparently Naruto's mother has come to the village."

Sasuke stiffened and a fleeting flash of a half-remembered nightmare of the red-haired woman from the photograph strangling him and screaming about betrayal darted through his mind.

"Really?" the silver-haired man asked, raising his one visible eye from the pages of his adult novel.

"I was speaking with Hokage-sama and she barged into his office like she belonged there, and Hokage-sama referred to her as Naruto's mother," the chuunin replied.

"Did she have long red hair?" the jounin inquired.

At Iruka's nod, Kakashi looked around and then hurriedly shoved his book back into his weapon pouch.

"That would be Kushina-san," Kakashi said. "…And this bothers you, Iruka?"

"It might," the chuunin admitted. "She acted upset when she heard that something might've happened to Naruto, but after giving him up and then waiting so long to bother and find him again I doubt her sincerity."

_That sounds like a reasonable conclusion,_ Sasuke thought as he adjusted one of his ankle weights.

"Naruto was dumped in the foster system due to pressure from his extended family as I understand it. And Naruto loves his mother." Kakashi raised his eyebrow. "I don't suppose you've talked with Naruto about his family situation."

"No, the subject seemed to upset him and I didn't feel it was a good idea to pry. If he wanted me to know about it he would've told me," Iruka responded. "And children tend to gloss over their parents' faults. After so many years away from her, with her as his only parent, and after so many different foster homes, a lot of them probably unpleasant, it's probable that he's romanticized his memories of her."

"Hmm…" The jounin glanced around again before looking back at the Academy instructor. "You haven't shared your opinions with Kushina-san, have you?"

"No, we really didn't speak," Iruka answered.

"Good, you'll live longer," Kakashi cheerfully informed him.

"She's dangerous?" the chuunin asked dubiously.

"Well," the older ninja said, "in my experience, her revenge is non-fatal and prank-based, but…no one's ever done anything as serious as try to kill her child. I don't think she'll be in a forgiving mood for a while."

Iruka frowned and started to give a response—

A rumbling boom caught their attention. Every now and then there was an explosion or a boom out in the training fields. That was the area's purpose: to practice ninja skills, such as destructive elemental jutsu, explosive traps, and the like. But then there was another bang, and then the creaking sound of a falling tree, and another boom. It wasn't normal to hear so much destruction so close together.

_Who the heck is doing all that?_ Sasuke wondered.

Kakashi darted up a tree to investigate. Iruka followed and Sasuke went after him. When they reached the tree's crown and looked around, it wasn't hard to spy the epicenter of destruction with all the dust clouds rising up from it. There was at least one training ground between them and the field where all hell was breaking loose—far away enough to be safe, but just close enough for them to catch a few details. Another tree was torn down as they watched and as it toppled a flash of blue-white chain snapped through the air like a whip.

_That chain,_ Sasuke mused. _Didn't I see something like that before?_

"…Kushina-san is _angry_," the jounin remarked.

As if to punctuate his words, a tornado of water rose dozens of yards over the treetops, sucking up clumps of leaves with its shredding white water as it wriggled and writhed over the distant spot where it had been cast.

A chill slithered down Sasuke's spine.

_Naruto's mother can do __**that**__?_

_

* * *

_

Kushina dropped to the dirt, panting and soaked in sweat. She'd burned up most of her chakra and if she spent any more she'd need to spend a day or two in bed to recover. And if she destroyed any more of the field she'd probably get in trouble.

So far, she'd killed at least a dozen trees, if not more. She'd used a stream that cut through a corner of the space to fuel several nasty _suiton_ attacks that had left most of the ground muddy and mangled. And she had smashed every single training post and painted target that she could find.

The chuunin fixer squad who drew this duty was going to hate her.

_…I still want to kill him._

Of course, she couldn't. Fugaku was head of the Uchiha clan, and somehow incredibly popular amongst them. If she knocked him off, the entire Uchiha clan would come after her and her family and they wouldn't stop until they felt satisfied with the carnage. Now with her wrath clouded by weariness, she conceded to herself that it wouldn't be worth the cost to eviscerate Fugaku and hang his bloody shorts from the nearest flag pole.

_But I still want to kill him!_

Really, how dare he? How dare he even dream of touching her son? Minato's son? How dare that bloodthirsty zealot think he was above the law, above the Hokage's authority? How dare he?

Her fingers drew furrows into the damp earth as they curled into a shaking fist. If she hadn't had her necklace on she would probably be full fox by now out of sheer outrage. She also would've most likely burned the training ground down to ashes and damaged the adjacent ones too.

_Naruto…I'll be seeing you soon._

The old man had promised her that she would her son soon. And she had absolute faith that he would keep that promise. Sarutobi Hiruzen was an honorable man and when he made a promise he did all that he could to keep it.

That, and his incredible jutsu knowledge, was why he was so respected inside and outside of _Hi no Kuni_.

Soon (maybe even as soon as tomorrow!) she would get to see her baby again. Back in Uzu, the photograph Jiraiya had brought her had almost been enough. But now that she was here and so very close it only made her more anxious to see her son in the flesh, to hear his voice, to smell him, to cry all over him and no doubt embarrass the heck out of him.

And now that she knew that he'd been hurt it made the situation even more unbearable. It didn't matter that she'd been told that he was healing well; she needed to see it for herself. Only then would the tightness in her chest ease.

_Hold on, Naru-chan, I'll see you soon…_

Her vision started to waver and she sniffled, rubbing at her eyes with the back of one hand.

"Minato, I wish you were here."

* * *

He was putting the finishing touches on the last of his paperwork when an odd sneeze interrupted him. Frowning, he rubbed at his nose before getting back to writing. If he believed in the old superstition about sneezes, he might've thought that someone was talking about him.

But who would mention his name now?

_I've been gone so long I don't think anyone even curses my name anymore,_ he thought to himself.

Once he had completed the report to his satisfaction, he stacked the papers on the kitchen counter to turn in later and poured himself a cup of coffee. Sipping at his hot drink he strolled upstairs and peeked into Naruto's room. The boy was still sleeping off a late but large breakfast and there was no reason to wake him.

Ever since he'd woken up yesterday, he'd been doing much better. He hadn't thrown up, his fever was long gone, and he'd even shuffled off to the bathroom unassisted a few times. With plenty of sleep and extra calories he should recover quickly—perhaps in time for the next full moon, which was only four days away.

Smiling faintly, he closed the door to Naruto's room and headed back to the kitchen. It was an immense relief that Naruto had pulled through. When the boy (his son!) had first been moved to the house it had been touch and go with ANBU medics coming in shifts while he spent almost every hour watching over Naruto, even sleeping in the corner of his room in case something happened.

Of course, now that Naruto was going to live, he had a whole new slew of problems to worry about.

So far, he'd kept his mask on around the boy when he was awake. The Hokage had told him that Naruto hadn't recognized his picture and probably wouldn't know his face, but he didn't want to risk it and have his son get upset and perhaps even reinjure himself over his identity. Thankfully Naruto was sleeping a lot so far and hadn't yet asked why he was hanging out in a house in full ANBU gear all the time.

And how would Naruto take the full moon—

A disturbance in his alert seals followed by a coded knock at the back door had him slipping on his mask, temporarily abandoning his cup of coffee, and heading off to see what the update was. It took a moment to disarm the seals he'd set into the door to protect against intrusion before he cracked it open. Crane was waiting for him.

"Uzumaki Kushina arrived in the village today," Crane informed him. "Hokage-sama promised her visitation as soon as possible."

Mangetsu was stunned for a minute. Before he'd heard that she was really a Kitsune, he probably would've arranged for another ANBU (probably Yamato, he liked that kid) to guard Naruto so that he could ask the Hokage's permission to meet up with her to get reacquainted before bringing her to see their son. But now…he really had no idea what to think.

"…What time do you think would be best?" Crane prompted.

"Oh! Um…tomorrow afternoon," Mangetsu decided. "He should be awake then."

"Alright," Crane nodded. "Tomorrow afternoon it is."

With that decided, Crane took his leave and Mangetsu re-secured the door. He skulked back to the kitchen, pulled off his mask, and flopped down into his chair. The ANBU stared into his coffee and let out a deep sigh.

_Kushina…_


	32. Surprise!

**Chapter 31**

_Surprise!_

Hinata dutifully followed her teacher through the quiet residential neighborhood towards the training grounds to help Shino prepare. She still hadn't heard from her father about her sealing into the branch family, but she would be patient. He was probably more concerned with preparing Neji for his demon slaying in the village stadium for the final trial. Once the Trials were through, he would have a date for her to undergo the sealing procedure.

Kurenai-sensei had kindly taken her in after her father had turned her out of the house. She felt bad for taking up room and resources and kept trying to find ways to help her teacher out by doing chores. Kurenai assured her that it wasn't necessary, but Hinata was happy to help clean the jounin's house and cook the meals. It was the least that she could do.

Her mentor lived in a very nice neighborhood mostly populated with civilian families. All the little houses were neat and orderly with well-kept lawns and gardens. It felt warm and friendly and Hinata was ashamed to admit to herself that she liked it a little bit better than the Hyuuga lands.

But there was one house that just didn't fit in. It had belonged to an old woman years ago and upon her death the property had been acquired by a bank. However, they had never been able to sell it, so the building sat vacant and in increasing disrepair. At least once a year genin teams were hired to perform maintenance on the property to keep it up to code, but still no one bought it.

The paint was faded and peeling, the windows were filthy, the lawn was overgrown and the trees in the backyard looked like a small forest. It sat quietly near the end of the block and everyone tried to pretend that it didn't exist. Hinata had overheard some young children whispering about how it was haunted.

Hinata glanced at the abandoned house as she and Kurenai-sensei walked past it. Even though it was inanimate, she thought it looked sad. Everyone ignored it and let it slowly decay. Perhaps one day, when she was old enough and had the money, she'd buy it and fix it up. It was the perfect sort of house for a branch Hyuuga, and just large enough for a family if she was arranged to marry.

Just as she was looking back ahead, a flicker of movement in one of the grimy windows made her do a double-take. She hesitated and for just a moment she allowed her imagination to run wild with ideas of ghosts and the supernatural. But then she shook herself and hurried a bit to catch up to her sensei.

_There are no such things as ghosts,_ she thought. _It was probably just a draft moving a curtain, or an animal that found its way inside. That's all._

Peeking at the house with her Byakugan to check never crossed her mind. She was well-conditioned against using her _kekkei genkai_ for frivolous reasons. She wasn't about to risk violating the privacy of the neighbors just because she was curious about a "ghost".

_ I need to focus on helping Shino-kun._

_

* * *

_

Naruto was bored. He was too tired to hop up and run around in search of entertainment, but he was too awake to sleep any more. And it was only his second day (that he could remember) in this house being guarded by the ANBU Mangetsu.

_So, so bored…_

He'd explored the upstairs of the house thoroughly around his bathroom breaks. There was "his room", the bathroom, a hall closet, three vacant rooms of various sizes, and Mangetsu's bedroom. The place where the ANBU slept was almost identical to Naruto's, the mattress laid directly on the floor (it was just bigger with different colored sheets), the table lamp was on the floor, and there was a box in the corner with assorted bits of clothes and ninja gear.

Naruto squirmed a bit on the bed and glanced over at a laundry basket near the door. There was a bunch of clothes in it, all his in size, all brand new. A few even still had the price tags attached. But not a single one belonged to him.

_Is it really so hard to go to Iruka-sensei's apartment and get my stuff?_

Even though his clothes were worn to death and close to falling apart, he liked them. They were his clothes. He'd bought most of them from clearance racks and thrift stores with his own allowance. They were in colors he liked, with patterns that he liked, and he felt comfortable in them.

The stuff in the laundry basket was all in shades of white, blue, and gray. He'd found a few green things and a red shirt, but there was nothing orange at all. It was all so bland and dull…

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the basket and stiffly shifted so that he was looking at the window.

The window had been covered with a sheet tapped around the edges while he'd been suffering from the poison coating the silver knife. Mangetsu told him that he'd been sensitive to bright lights when he'd been sick. It had also been something of a security measure; no one could peek in and see him laying there helpless.

Now that the window was uncovered, he couldn't really see a whole lot. It let in some sunlight, but most of what he could see was the top of some tree. Beyond giving him a clue as to the time of day and what the weather was like it didn't do much for him.

It gave him no clue as to his exact location, but he knew that he was still in Konoha. His ANBU babysitter had told him so when he'd asked yesterday. The situation wasn't bad enough to risk moving him out of the village and away from Konoha's expert doctors which he'd needed due to his injuries. He'd probably stay here until his wounds were fully healed, but after that…he didn't know where he'd go.

The boy fingered the edge of his sheet and then his hand slid towards the bandages on his neck and left shoulder. His injuries really didn't hurt unless he moved too much or too fast. It was really annoying to have to be careful of the way he moved around and he hoped he healed up faster.

Naruto sighed and very slowly sat up. With great care he climbed off the mattress, hissing softly as his right side protested. Scowling a bit out of irritation, he slowly shuffled to the door and then out of the room.

The upstairs was a barren place. Most of the rooms were empty, and the rooms that weren't had only the bare necessities in them. There were no pictures hanging on the wall or plants on windowsills or any sort of added decoration anywhere. It was like no one lived here and he and the ANBU-nin were just squatting on the property like homeless people.

_I wonder if the downstairs is any different._

He hadn't made it to the ground floor yet. The stairs seemed too steep when he'd looked at them before. He worried that if he tried to go down them it would hurt his side or that he might slip and make his injuries worse.

When his shuffling brought him to the top of the stairs, he hesitated. The steps were made of slick wood without any carpet to give him good traction and the railing looked a bit wobbly. If he tried them, the risk of slipping and tumbling to the bottom felt huge.

_I feel like such a sissy,_ he pouted. _They're just a bunch of stupid stairs!_

_…Maybe I should get Mangetsu to help me._

From what Naruto knew, ANBU was made up of the most loyal and the most badass warriors in the village. They ran around the country in white armor and decorated masks doing whatever the Hokage needed them to do. ANBU were silent and stoic and mysterious and no one ever wanted to mess with them.

Mangetsu, however, seemed to be a very friendly person. Naruto had yet to see him out of his uniform or without his mask, or see him do anything at all badass. It was like he was a nice babysitter in an intimidating costume.

_No,_ Naruto decided. _I'll be thirteen in a few months. I can handle this. I'll just go slow._

Clutching at the banister with his right hand and started his painfully slow descent. The first step went okay, and so did the second, and the third, and the fourth. But somewhere around the seventh step he set his foot too close to the edge, lost his balance, slipped—

"Yah!"

Before he could hit the stairs and start his tumble, a set of arms caught him. Naruto cracked open one eye and found that in the space that he'd slipped and braced himself for awful impact that Mangetsu had appeared and caught him. The man held him still for a moment and then carefully set him back on his feet on the step that had given him trouble.

The ANBU studied him for a long moment before asking, "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I'm bored," the boy half-shrugged. "I wanted to go downstairs."

"You could've asked me for help," Mangetsu chided.

"I shouldn't need help!" Naruto huffed.

"Well, for now, you do," the ANBU told him.

Then, before Naruto could protest, the man scooped him up and carried him down the rest of the stairs and deposited him on the ground floor. Naruto scowled and adjusted the blue pajamas he was wearing before peering around. And it found that it was just like the upstairs…only that it was downstairs.

There were no pictures on the walls, no plants, no nothing. All of the curtains were drawn, the front door was shut and locked, and the one room that he could see had a couch, an unplugged television set, and a stack of cardboard boxes in it. It was like someone was starting to move in, but they'd never gotten unpacked.

Naruto did the old-man-shuffle along a hallway, peeking into every room that he passed. He found several other barren rooms, another hall closet (empty as the one upstairs), another bathroom, and the kitchen. There were at least a few things in the kitchen, like a table, a coffee maker, a few dishes in the sink, but it still felt…unlived in.

"If you're thinking of wandering outside, don't," Mangetsu advised, making Naruto flinch.

He hadn't heard the ANBU following him at all.

"I wasn't going to," Naruto insisted, tearing his eyes away from what was probably the back door, just outside of the kitchen.

"Alright," the man said. "Just giving you a head's up that that's off-limits until you're cleared for it."

"Great," the genin pouted. _That sucks!_

"Are you hungry?" the ANBU asked.

"No, not yet," Naruto grumbled.

Mangetsu had made him a big breakfast and it was still a bit too early for lunch.

"And you're still bored?"

"Yes," Naruto replied, rolling his eyes a bit. _Stupid question, of course I am!_

"I might have a solution to that problem," Mangetsu said and gently steered Naruto back to the room by the stairs with the couch, TV, and boxes in it.

After settling the boy on the couch, the ANBU dug through one of the boxes. Naruto poked at the couch cushions suspiciously. The piece of furniture had definitely seen better days. It was the sort of thing that had probably been rescued from a neighbor who had been ready to throw it away.

"Ah-hah!" the ANBU muttered and pulled out something flat and a rattling cloth pouch.

The man moved one of the larger boxes in front of the couch like a makeshift coffee table. The flat thing turned out to be a checkerboard and the game pieces were in the little bag. As the ANBU set up the game, Naruto stared blankly at it.

It wasn't like what he'd played Ookami-jiji with. The board wasn't discolored, stained, warped, or mildewed. And the pieces were all uniform plastic, not replaced with bottle caps, colored pebbles, or lonely chess pieces. Mangetsu's checker set was brand new and pristine, not recycled and well-loved like the werewolf's.

"Now do you want to play as the red—"

"I don't want to play," Naruto interrupted.

"…You don't?" The ANBU almost sounded hurt, which was really weird because they'd never played together before. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Naruto mumbled, leaning sideways against the couch arm.

"Okay." Mangetsu sighed and nudged the box that the checkerboard was resting on off to the side. "Well…let's see if I can't get this television working."

The boy laid his cheek against the couch arm and watched the man plug in the television and then go on a scavenger hunt for the remote.

Checkers was the game that he played with Ookami-jiji. Seeing the game board reminded him of the sickly old werewolf, and how the poor creature had died all alone. Naruto didn't want to play the game with anyone else.

"Hey, Mangetsu," Naruto mumbled, "do you think someone could get my clothes from Iruka-sensei's?"

"You don't like the clothes here?" the ANBU asked, again sounding strangely hurt as he adjusted his canine mask.

"They're boring," the boy complained. "Too much blue."

"Alright," Mangetsu said as he searched the last box for the missing remote. "I'll see if anyone has the time to do that."

"Thanks," Naruto yawned.

A minute later the remote turned up, but when the ANBU tried to use it, nothing happened.

"…I'll also have to ask for batteries, I think," Mangetsu grumbled.

"There aren't any batteries here?" Naruto blinked.

"I never needed any," the man shrugged as he left the remote on top of the television. "I don't watch much TV."

Naruto sighed and sank even deeper into the couch. He was getting a bit tired, but not enough to take another nap. And he was still really bored.

"…Do you think I could get some visitors?" the blond boy asked.

"Hm, actually…you're scheduled to have a visitor this afternoon," Mangetsu informed him.

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Sparrow?"

"No, she'll be stopping by this evening. This visitor is…special."

"Well, who is it?" the boy inquired.

"It's a surprise," the ANBU replied, and it sounded like he was smiling.

"You can't tell me?" Naruto whined.

"That wouldn't make it a surprise anymore," the man chuckled. "All I can say is that you will like this visitor."

"How do you know?" the genin demanded.

"I'm in ANBU, I know everything," Mangetsu said quite seriously.

Naruto stared at him uncertainly.

"Liar! You're as bad as Kakashi-sensei!"

"Kakashi lies now?" Mangetsu murmured, intrigued.

"Yeah, you don't know that?" the boy frowned.

"I've been…away for a while," the ANBU explained. "I haven't gotten caught up on everything quite yet."

"Kakashi-sensei didn't always tell silly lies to explain why he was late?" Naruto wondered in disbelief.

"…No, he was always on time if he wasn't early," Mangetsu responded. "Obito was the late one with the excuses."

"Kakashi-sensei…on time?" Naruto sputtered. "No way!"

"Ask him if you don't believe me," the man shrugged.

"I will," Naruto decided. "…Is he the one who's coming to visit?"

"No."

"Well who is it?"

"It's a surprise," Mangetsu cheerfully repeated.

Naruto glowered at the man.

_ANBU-nin are evil!_

_

* * *

_

Kushina did almost nothing between her venting session and noon of the next day. She ate, she showered, she slept, and that was pretty much it. But as her afternoon appointment neared, she rolled out of her hotel bed and began her preparations.

She washed her hair, brushed her teeth, and threw on some casual clothes—a pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt—and tied her hitai-ate around her neck. Then she went through her pack, sorting out what to leave in her hotel room and what she was going to bring with her on her visit. And then she headed out to pick up a snack and wait for her escort.

Her guide found her at a dango stand. He was an ANBU with a feline mask. The man waited patiently on a nearby roof while she made her purchase. With her carton of sweets in hand she turned and walked towards the building he was sitting on—

"Whoa—hey!"

Her shoulder banged into another person and she nearly dropped her dango. With a snarl she tightened her grip on her snack and turned to chew out the careless other party. But the words died in her throat when she saw who it was.

Mikoto looked awful. Her normally put-together friend was pale with shadows forming under her dark eyes. Her posture was slumped instead of upright and confident. She was clean and well-dressed but the mood surrounding her made her seem rumpled like she'd rolled out of bed and just gone through the motions.

"You look like crap," Kushina told her.

"Hm?" It took a good minute or two for Mikoto to focus on her and then recognize her. Instead of the little polite smile she always managed to give people even when she was having a rough day, she thinned her lips into something approaching a frown. "It's a fine time for you to show up."

"Eh?" Kushina raised an eyebrow. _Sure, your husband's in jail, but he's a dick and deserves it, so what do you have to be mad about?_

She'd never really liked her friend's husband. When she'd heard that Mikoto was going to marry Fugaku, it had taken real restraint on her part to not treat the wedding like it was a funeral. The man was older than her friend by over five years and he seemed to be in a permanently bad mood, lacking any sense of humor at all. Kushina was sure that if the man ever gave a genuine smile, the world would end.

It was beyond her why her intelligent, independent friend would willingly subordinate herself to such a man. But Mikoto married him without complaint or protest. By the time that Itachi was born, she even seemed to actually love the man…somehow.

"Thirteen years without a word and then you just decide to show up out of the blue at the worst possible time!" Mikoto snapped.

"Better late than never?" the red-head hazarded.

"This is not a time to joke around!" the Uchiha woman glared.

"Is Fugaku being in prison that awful?" Kushina asked slowly. "Or is there something else?"

"Enough with your juvenile insults against my husband!" Mikoto barked, her composure rapidly deteriorating. "Everything is falling apart and I can't deal with you right now!"

The situation was utterly bizarre. Normally it would be Kushina raging against some indignity or other while Mikoto calmly rode it out. Now it seemed that their roles had reversed—Mikoto was the one falling apart while Kushina weathered the storm.

"I'm going to assume that something else is going on that I haven't heard about yet," the Uzumaki said.

"My baby's been disowned!" Mikoto almost sobbed.

"Itachi's been disowned?" Kushina blinked.

"No!" the Uchiha snapped. "Sasuke! You didn't read any of the letters that I sent, did you?"

"I read them," the red-head insisted. "I just didn't write back because all the things I wanted to bitch about were clan or village secrets so there wouldn't be anything left after they were censored. I didn't feel like wasting paper and postage." She paused and thought back to the handful of old letters she'd started receiving not long after Naruto's problem had been uncovered. "I remember…baby number two you named Sasuke. I was sort of confused because the picture that came with that letter looked kinda…girly."

Mikoto trembled and looked ready to cry, so Kushina snagged her arm and dragged her to a gap between buildings so there would be fewer observers.

"So…what did Sasuke do?"

"He didn't do anything," the dark-haired woman whimpered. "Orochimaru branded him with a curse mark."

"…Ouch," Kushina muttered, managing to find a scrap of sympathy for the kid. "It could be worse though. Orochimaru could've kidnapped and dissected him. Do you know where he's staying?"

"I...I think his sensei took him in," Mikoto gulped, hugging herself.

"Well, that's good," the Uzumaki said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I'd love to chat more, but I need to get going. I have a kid of my own to see."

Her friend looked confused.

"You know," Kushina said, tucking her dango box under one arm and adjusting the straps of her bag. "Naruto, the boy your husband tried to murder in broad daylight."

Mikoto turned ashen.

"I-I didn't—"

"Later," the Uzumaki waved and walked across the street to meet up with her guide.

She had no desire to talk about what had happened to her son. If she did, she was likely to work herself back up into a burning rage. And the longer she talked, the later she'd be.

Uzumaki Kushina was not going to be late visiting her boy.

* * *

Naruto slurped up his ramen noodle lunch as he sat at the kitchen table. It wasn't cheap instant ramen, but the real stuff brought to him by Spider from Ichiraku. And after he thoroughly enjoyed eating it, he planned on taking a nap.

Mangetsu watched him from the backdoor where he stood with his shoulder braced against the wall. The ANBU still hadn't told him who the visitor was. All he would say was that Naruto was guaranteed to like the mystery person.

_How can he be so sure that I'll like this guy?_ Naruto pondered as he chewed on a bit of egg. _He doesn't know me…_

"Something on your mind, Naruto?"

"Doesn't it bother you to have to look after me?" Naruto asked, knowing that if he brought up the surprise visitor he'd only get frustrated. "Isn't it boring?"

"I don't mind at all," the ANBU chuckled. "I was going to be looking after you anyway as I was going to be your trainer."

"Really?" Naruto blinked, stirring his chopsticks through the soup broth in search of more noodles.

Mangetsu nodded.

"Are you still going to train me when I'm better?" the boy asked.

"Yes, I—"

He suddenly fell silent and before Naruto could ask why there was a pattern of knocks on the door. Mangetsu put one palm against the door, which glowed and hummed for a minute. Then he opened the door, staying behind it so that whoever had been knocking wouldn't see him.

_Why—_

The noodles in his chopsticks slipped free with a wet splat as time slowed down like cold syrup.

She swept through the back door and into the kitchen, oblivious to anyone else but him. Her blue gray eyes immediately locked on his face and she stopped a few feet short of the boy to stare at him. Naruto stared back open-mouthed, unable to trust his eyes.

_Mommy?_

The red-haired woman dropped a backpack onto the floor, set some kind of take-out container near his ramen, and then kneeled beside his chair. Her fingers trembled as they traced the whisker-like lines on his cheeks. When he didn't flinch she gave him a wavering smile as her eyes misted over.

_This is a dream! She can't be here! I must've fallen asleep—_

"I know it's been a while," his mother's voice said, "but do you remember me, Naruto?"

Time returned to normal speed and Naruto flung his arms around her neck, falling out of his chair in his haste to attach himself to her so that she couldn't disappear, and he cried into her shoulder.

"Mommy!"


	33. Questionable Sanity

**Chapter 32**

_Questionable Sanity_

It hurt watching them. His chest knotted up as he observed mother and son cling to each other and cry. After a five-minute-long eternity, he slipped out of his hiding place between the wall and the door and exited into the backyard.

"You're leaving?" Yamato asked quietly.

"I need some air," Mangetsu replied, amazing himself with his even tone. "You can stay, can't you?"

"Yes, but—"

He didn't wait to hear whatever else Yamato wanted to say. He used his _hiraishin_ and was gone before the other ANBU could utter another syllable. In less than a heartbeat he moved from the overgrown backyard to the other side of the village, reappearing in a tree nearby the Academy.

This particular tree had always been important to him. As a young boy he would sit under it or climb it after classes to read, daydream, or think. When he was older, he'd sometimes visit it after missions. And then he'd brought Kushina to it and shared it with her.

He'd liked it so much that he'd branded one of his seal markers by his favorite sitting spot up in the branches so that he could visit whenever he wanted to from wherever he was.

As much as he was hurt and confused by learning that Kushina wasn't human, he was still attached to her. Throughout his long years of exile he'd ached for her and to suddenly see her again… And to watch her and their child reunited…

It had taken all of his self-control to stay back and not join them. He wasn't sure how Kushina would react exactly—probably some mixture of confusion, anger, and joy (if he was lucky). But he knew that Naruto wouldn't welcome him.

With what his son had suffered recently, Naruto deserved an uninterrupted reunion with his mother. He deserved to be happy and to have Kushina's undivided attention, at least for the day. The boy could wait to meet his father; a meeting that was bound to be unpleasant from Naruto's perspective.

The ANBU exhaled shakily and leaned back, resting his head against the rough bark of the tree.

Watching Kushina hug and cry over Naruto, it was hard for him to imagine that she didn't love the boy. And all of the memories he had of his relationship with Kushina felt genuine; he couldn't believe that she'd been faking it or using him in some way. But he couldn't blindly trust his heart. Not with Kitsune involved.

True, a lot of what hunters knew about demons was flawed, if not outright false. He'd not only seen the truth about werewolves, but a good dozen other species as well. There had been times that he'd received charity from friendly Tanuki and Crane Tengu, and once he'd spent some time at an inn in the Land of Birds run by Sparrow Tengu, earning his keep with some maintenance work and dish-washing.

And Hokage-sama was extending the Uzumaki clan the benefit of the doubt. The Uzumaki had been helpful to the infant Leaf Village, even as their race was systematically hunted down. The first Hokage had even married an Uzumaki.

However, the rest of Uzushiogakure no Sato—a place exclusively populated by Kitsune—was under suspicion. From what he knew, they were forming ties between Otogakure no Sato, a young village believed to have strong connections to Orochimaru. And they were padding their forces with other demon races, almost like they were building a small army.

Mangetsu groaned and briefly removed his mask to rub a gloved hand over his face.

Uzushio's motives were Hokage-sama's concern, not his. Kushina was the only Kitsune that he needed to worry about. And sometime after the upcoming full moon, he would arrange for someone else to watch Naruto so that he could track her down and speak with her himself.

_…I think I'll head back in two hours,_ he decided, adjusting his radio. _Unless I get called back sooner._

_

* * *

_

Yamanaka Ino stretched her arms above her head as she stepped out of the family flower shop after her shift. A hand briefly brushed against the little bun she'd tucked her shortened hair into before forcing her hands down to her sides and striding off on her errand. Her mother had asked her to pick up a few things for dinner and Ino loved visiting the markets and listening for scraps of juicy gossip that hadn't made it to _Yamanaka Hana_ yet.

_I wish I hadn't cut my hair,_ Ino fussed as she briefly consulted the list her mother had given her. _It's going to take forever to grow it back out again…_

She'd first grown it out when she'd decided that Uchiha Sasuke was really cute and she wanted to attract his attention. That act had led to the end of her friendship with Sakura, as her pink-haired best friend hadn't wanted to compete with a friend over the same boy. It had saddened her that she and her old friend didn't talk anymore, but sometimes it had been fun competing with her as a rival.

And she couldn't ever be mad at Sakura for being attracted to the same boy—what girl _didn't_ want to make Uchiha Sasuke their boyfriend? He was very cute with the strong potential to grow up to be the classic dark-tall-and-handsome man. Since he didn't really have any friends outside of his rather isolationist clan he was very mysterious. And being part of the powerful Uchiha clan practically made him royalty.

Really, what girl didn't want to win the heart of a handsome prince?

Ino had been sure that she would be the one to triumph and become Sasuke's girlfriend. She was pretty, confident, a competent kunoichi, and she was from a prominent clan herself. Sakura might be a bit smarter, have interesting-colored hair, and earned better grades, but Ino had been certain that she'd win their contest and the boy and end up a princess to match Sasuke's prince-like status.

_But now…things are just a mess._

Sasuke wasn't an Uchiha anymore. He'd been disowned for some reason. There were all sorts of crazy rumors flying around as to why, even though it had happened only yesterday.

And that was just the latest tsunami of gossip inundating the village. Before Sasuke's disgrace was being whispered about, people were talking about the incident that had occurred shortly after the end of the Forest of Death segment of the Trials. The true nature of this incident was about as certain as the cause of Sasuke getting booted from the Uchiha, but there were a lot of stories about it.

Some claimed that top-ranked members of the Uchiha clan had tried to commit a murder and they were caught by members of ANBU. Others said that the Uchiha were just minding their own business and were attacked by ANBU out of the blue and a few of them had been killed. And other variations claimed that there was a werewolf involved somehow, someone got bitten, and a plague of werewolves would arise within the village walls by the time winter rolled around.

It didn't matter what the truth was; the nature of the stories had everyone anxious.

The Uchiha were powerful and dangerous opponents, but they were very mysterious even to their allies. They kept to themselves in a single neighborhood surrounded by a wall with only one major gateway to the rest of the village. Even though they were the Military Police, which earned them love and respect from the civilians, they still had an intimidating air about them that made people nervous.

People could almost believe that the Uchiha would murder someone, but they didn't want to because it was so terrifying. It was a bit easier to believe that ANBU would attack them for some reason as the Uchiha were known to grate under the authority of the Hokage, especially lately. But that left everyone to wonder about the reason the Hokage set his ANBU loose for and, in the increasingly tense atmosphere of the village, would the ANBU go hunting inside the Leaf's walls again.

The possibility of a werewolf inside of Konoha really had people on edge. There were plenty of monsters out there that were more powerful, more dangerous, or more deadly than werewolves. But werewolves were the only creature that was significantly contagious, able to spread their curse to perfectly normal people and turn them into murderous beasts by the next full moon that would then spread the curse to yet more people—

Ino yelped as she nearly collided with a cart in her distraction. Embarrassed, the blonde girl shook herself and continued on to the grocery store that her family favored. She'd missed a few turns while moving on autopilot and had to do a bit of backtracking to reach her destination.

The girl quickly visiting the aisles and collected the ingredients her mother had listed. Ino added a few fresh fruits to her basket and then headed for the checkout lines. While she waited to pay for her items, she tuned her ears to gathering scraps of whispers of the other shoppers.

_"…never had a Trials like this…"_

_ "…do you think that this make-up…"_

_ "…prices don't seem…"_

_ "…would they really…"_

_ "…thinking about moving somewhere safe…"_

_ "…but are you sure stray dogs can't carry werewolfism?"_

Ino choked on a snort. 'Werewolfism' wasn't a word, it was 'lycanthropy'! And the idea of dogs being carriers of the curse was absurd. The curse only afflicted humans and the only way that it could be spread was by a bite from a werewolf—a human consumed by the curse.

_Civilians have some weird ideas about demons!_

The Yamanaka paid for the groceries and left the store to walk home.

_I wonder how training went today…_

As she had been eliminated from the Trials, Ino didn't always go to her team's training sessions anymore. Asuma-sensei primarily focused on Shikamaru as he was the only one still in the running for chuunin rank. To get the lazy Nara more active in his fights, Asuma had Chouji, and sometimes Ino, go after Shikamaru hard.

The Nara in general were better suited to fighting human opponents. They liked to plan out attacks, lay traps, and most of their basic shadow techniques weren't lethal. A lone Nara pitted against an aggressive and less cerebral sort of demon didn't usually fare well, especially if the demon was an unexpected one.

_Shika's such a lazy-ass,_ Ino mused. _If he doesn't work harder in practice with us, the demon he has to fight in the stadium will probably eat him. What if he ends up fighting an oni? Those things have thick skin and insane pain tolerances. Chopping off the head is the best way to kill them, but their necks are so thick…all tough muscle and—_

_ —Hey, it's Sakura!_

Spying the pink-haired girl on the other side of the street immediately derailed Ino's worries about her teammate and got her thinking about Sasuke. Sakura was Sasuke's teammate, with access to the boy that Ino greatly envied. If anyone knew anything about what was going on with the suddenly ex-Uchiha, it would be her.

Ino skipped across the street, swinging her grocery bag, and bumped her old classmate with her hip, causing the other girl to almost drop the collection of books that she was carrying in her arms.

"Hey, Forehead Girl!" Ino grinned. "What are you up to?"

"I'm walking home from the library," Sakura frowned, adjusting her hold on the books. "What do you want, Ino-pig?"

"Just to talk," the blonde girl said, ignoring her ex-friend's irritation. "So, how are your team's preparations for the final round going?"

"Okay, I guess," the other girl shrugged. "Kakashi-sensei's been spending all of his time training Sasuke-kun. He suggested I do some independent study because I won't be advancing. Since he said I'd be good for genjutsu or medical work with my chakra control, I've been reading books on the subjects."

"Ah, that's what all the books are for," Ino remarked. "But what about Naruto? Isn't he helping Sasuke-kun train?"

"Naruto is advancing, too, remember? So Kakashi-sensei arranged for someone else to work with him," Sakura replied. "I…I haven't seen him since we left the Forest of Death."

"Oh yeah, he beat Kiba. I forgot," Ino grimaced and mentally kicked herself. The way that Naruto had won had really intrigued her. He'd copied the Inuzuka almost like he had the Sharingan. But with the rumor explosion, the whole fight had slipped her mind. "Hey, you sound worried about him, Billboard Brow. You like him!"

"I do not," the pink-haired girl scowled. "Not like that! You care about Shikamaru and Chouji, don't you? It's just like that," she insisted. "And…yes, I am a little bit worried."

"Why?" Ino asked. "Did Kakashi-sensei set him up to train with some psycho?"

"No…I don't know, he didn't say exactly who would be teaching him." The Haruno girl chewed on her lower lip for a good minute before speaking again. "Yamanakas are experts on possession, right?"

"Of course," Ino nodded.

"Well, during the survival test, we came to the bones of the Kyuubi—"

"The what?" the blonde girl repeated blankly.

"Weren't you paying attention to the lecture on Kitsune?" Sakura frowned.

"Not really," Ino admitted, tossing her head to move her long bangs out of her eye. "They're extinct, right? The details about them aren't really important."

The other girl rolled her green eyes at this answer.

"The Kyuubi was the mightiest of the Kitsune and it tried to destroy Konoha, but the Shodai and Uchiha Madara killed him," she summarized. "And the Kyuubi's bones are still laying half-buried in the Forest of Death. My team got separated for a while, but when Naruto found his way back it was during that fight with the Oto-genin. Somehow he touched the bones or-or something, I didn't see, and it-it possessed him or something!"

"What possessed him?" Ino blinked.

"The Kyuubi!" Sakura squeaked.

"…How do you know that's what happened?" the Yamanaka asked slowly.

"He changed," the pink-haired girl said, wide-eyed. "He got fangs and claws and pointed ears, and the marks on his cheeks got darker, and his eyes were red with cat pupils, and there was this cloak of chakra around him… It was reddish and bubbling and…and shaped sort of like a fox! It moved around him like it was alive and there were chakra threads coming off it, running back to the bones, I think. Naruto didn't talk, he just growled and roared like an animal, he moved like an animal, and he tore into the Oto-nin like a monster. When they ran away, he turned to me—it was like he didn't know me! He was going to get me, but Lee-san returned and beat the chakra off of him. …When he woke up later, he said he didn't remember it at all."

Ino almost made a crack about how that was a great scary campfire story, but seeing Sakura's serious and scared expression made her hold her tongue and think about it.

"Did you tell your sensei about this?" the blonde girl finally asked.

"Yes," Sakura nodded. "He'd never heard about anything like it. And he didn't have any explanation for it."

"Hmm…" Ino mulled over the disturbing story before deciding what to do about it. "Come on, Sakura!"

"Huh?" the other girl yelped as Ino dragged her along with her free hand. "Where are we going?"

"To talk to my daddy!" Ino said with a grin. "He'll know what's going on!"

_And maybe after we figure out Naruto's deal, I can find out about Sasuke-kun, too!_

_

* * *

_

Naruto was in heaven. His mother had appeared. And she was _real_.

He'd dreamed of his mother coming to wherever he was and spiriting him away countless times. But this time she was solid. When he wrapped his arms around her she didn't dissipate into smoke. He could smell her (although she smelled a bit different than he remembered) and feel the warmth of her skin and feel her long red hair tickle him.

She was real and she was there with him.

When he was through crying and she was through crying, she looked at his bandages and cried a bit more. After he promised that he was alright, that he'd be just fine, she calmed down and they'd split the container of dango that she'd brought with her and he finished off the last of his now-lukewarm ramen. Then he brought his mother to the living room so that they could sit on the couch together and talk.

"Nice boxes," she remarked when she noticed the cardboard boxes stacked by the windows, next to the television set. "What's in them?"

"I dunno," Naruto shrugged. "Mangetsu's stuff."

"Mangetsu?"

"The ANBU looking after me." Naruto looked over the back of the couch for the blond-haired man with the dog mask, but the only person he spotted was a different ANBU with a feline mask. "Hey, where'd he go?" _He's not still hiding behind the door, is he?_

_ Why did he even do that?_

"He went for a walk," the other ANBU said. "I'll stay until he comes back."

"Okay," Naruto nodded slowly.

It was a bit disquieting to find that Mangetsu, the constant presence in the house, was suddenly gone. As far as Naruto knew, that ANBU had stayed with him the entire time that he'd been sick. With Mangetsu away, he felt oddly vulnerable…but only for a moment.

_Now that Mom's here, he doesn't need to stick around and nursemaid me anymore._

"So," Naruto turned back to his mother, "when are we leaving?"

"Leaving?" His mother tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean, Naru-chan?"

"Well, I can't stay here," Naruto frowned.

Sasuke had boasted to him a few times about how when an Uchiha went after a target, they'd hunt it down no matter where it fled until they had eliminated it. Since Naruto had survived, the Uchiha would surely come after him to finish the job. If he stayed in Konoha they wouldn't leave him alone until he was dead.

"Isn't that why you're here?" the boy asked. "To come get me?"

"Oh, no, sweetie," she said softly and tapped the metal plate of the Uzushio hitai-ate dangling around her neck. "I'm here on official business for the clan."

A stab of betrayal hit Naruto in the heart.

"And you can't just leave Konoha," she continued. "You're sworn yourself to serve Hokage-sama. If you just up and leave without permission you'll be labeled a rogue."

"But," he whimpered, his chest constricting, "the Uchiha—"

"Don't you worry about them," his mother said with a snort. "They're in a lot of trouble for what they've done. Fugaku is in jail and if he tries to touch a hair on your head after he gets out, I'll rip off his head!"

"What if he comes after me after you leave?" he almost whispered.

"I don't plan on going back to Uzushiogakure," she told him, looping an arm around his shoulders, mindful of the bandages. "I will do everything that I can to stay here, and if I have to leave for any reason I'll make sure that you're staying with Kakashi or Jiraiya until I come back. Heck, maybe I can even arrange to become a Konoha-nin!"

Hearing that his mother would be staying with him relieved Naruto immensely and he sank back into the couch with a sigh.

"That would be funny," she snickered to herself. "Me, a ninja of Konoha! He…he would've liked that."

"Who?" Naruto inquired.

"Your father," his mother said, fidgeting with a long lock of her red hair.

The whiskered boy scrunched up his face in distaste.

"Don't make faces like that!" she admonished. "Now…I know I never really sat down and explained things properly, about why your father was never around and why you were so unpopular…"

"I know why," Naruto muttered sourly. "He was a werewolf and so am I. I read some books on monsters in civilian libraries and I looked for all the things everyone would complain about in me. It wasn't that hard to figure out."

"Your father was a werewolf, yes," she nodded. "But you…are a little more complicated."

He eyed his mother nervously. She had to remember that that cat-masked ANBU was still standing at the back of the room, listening. He knew that his mother was some kind of fox-ish demon, but if the ANBU found out he'd—

"Relax," she smiled tightly. "Hokage-sama and most of his ANBU know about me and everyone else back in _Uzu no Kuni _being Kitsune. Don't worry about it."

Naruto's eyes got wide and round. _They know?_

"Wait," he blinked. "Kitsune? But…the lecture I listened to said they were extinct!"

"That's what we wanted them to think," she smirked faintly. "It makes life a lot easier when your enemies think you're dead so they stop looking."

"But…but…" He wracked his brains, going over all the facts that had been presented about Kitsune during that lesson. He'd remembered it really well because there had been a lot of eerie similarities to what he'd remembered of his mother's people. But, besides being extinct, there had been a few inconsistencies. "What about the funny-colored fire and lightning? I never saw any of that!"

"Of course not," she replied. "The village is made of wooden buildings. If we threw _kitsune-bi_ around the village it would've burned to the ground a long time ago! Practicing _kitsune-bi_ and other demon-specific abilities is strictly limited to the training caves underneath the village and you were never allowed down there."

"What-what about the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked weakly, grasping at straws. "They said that he did terrible things and was the leader of all the Kitsune and they were all like him…"

"I think you know that demon-hunters get a lot wrong," his mother said. "The Kyuubi no Yoko was a terrible monster, and some Kitsune followed him—all of them cruel and wicked like their leader. But the Kyuubi only led a small faction of Kitsune and all the rest hated him for all sorts of reasons, mostly because his bad behavior doomed us all."

Naruto felt rather stupid now. He hadn't made the obvious connection between his mother's kind and the Kitsune. And he'd rationalized away his blue fire as some weird side effect of lycanthropy messing with a natural fire affinity…

He paused and focused on initiating the change. It didn't hurt as much as it had when he'd fixed the messed up partial change when he'd woken up after recovering from the poison. But it took longer than he was used to, and he found himself starting to sweat a tiny bit from the strain. And then he generated a few flickers of blue flame around his claws so that his mother could see.

"So…this is _kitsune-bi_?"

"Oh, yes, definitely!" She was grinning wildly and kissed his cheek. "You're lucky! Not all hanyou can make any sort of _kitsune-bi_. Most of them can, but not all of them."

"But I…I thought I was a werewolf," Naruto blinked, letting the flames sputter out. He didn't bother to banish the demonic features right away; he didn't feel up to forcing the change when his abilities still seemed out of whack. Maybe he'd fix it in a few minutes. "Why was I cast out if I wasn't a werewolf?"

"You are something of a special case, Naru-chan," his mother explained. "You're a werewolf _and_ a hanyou. Normally your demon half would protect you from the curse, but since you inherited it from your father before you were ever born…"

"So it really is his fault," the boy muttered bitterly. _If my father hadn't been a werewolf I wouldn't be such a freak—_"Gak!"

She'd smacked the back of his head!

"Mom—"

"Don't you go bad mouthing someone you know nothing about!" she scolded with a sharp look.

"I know enough," Naruto snapped. "Kakashi-sensei and Ero-Sennin acted like he was someone great but he was dumb enough to get bitten by a—owie!"

"Enough!" His mother's blue-gray eyes were dark and Naruto shivered, suddenly feeling nervous as he rubbed the back of his head to ease the sting of the second smack. "No matter how great the ninja, they all started out as green genin without a scrap of practical experience. Your father was bitten on his very first C-rank mission outside of the village when he was younger than you are now. Only sheer luck allowed him to survive while both of his teammates were torn to pieces right in front of him. He didn't stand a chance."

Ice dripped down Naruto's spine upon hearing his mother's little story, but he stubbornly kept up his angry pout.

"Whatever."

"Brat," she sighed and grabbed the backpack she'd set next to the couch. "I've brought a few things for you."

"Presents?" Naruto immediately perked up.

She pulled out a white bundle and shook it out to reveal a long coat. It was mostly white with short sleeves and a red flame pattern running along the bottom and a red string to tie it closed. Naruto thought it looked pretty cool.

After draping the coat over the back of the couch, she pulled out a couple of kunai. They weren't the usual diamond-shaped throwing knives. Instead they had three points, almost like regular kunai combined with a sai, and the handles were a bit longer than normal.

_Weird, but kinda neat,_ Naruto decided as he accepted one from her hand and turned it over. _It's a bit heavy…_

"These are some of your father's things," she told him.

His awe of the coat and unusual blades immediately turned to wariness.

"I'd like for you to hold on to these for me," she continued, setting the other kunai down on the couch arm. "I have a few pictures, too, but I should probably get going—"

"You're leaving?" Naruto squeaked.

"—so we'll look at them next time," she finished and ruffled his hair. "Yes, I'm here on business, remember? But I'll come back—maybe tomorrow! So calm down."

"But you just got here!" he whined.

"I've been here more than two hours already," she smiled sadly. "And I'll be back soon. I'll definitely be around for the full moon, too."

That was good. He remembered how his mother would become a beast, too, and keep him company all night long during the full moon. It had made those nights mostly fun, even if she hadn't been able to understand him while he'd been furry.

"…Okay," Naruto mumbled.

"Be good, get better, and I'll be back," his mother commanded.

She gave him one last fierce hug and then bustled off as quickly as she'd come. The only signs that she'd been there were the coat and kunai she'd left behind for him to hang on to for her. Naruto set down the weird kunai he'd been holding next to its partner and curled up on his side on the couch and swallowed hard.

_I'm not going to cry,_ he chanted. _She'll come back. I'm not going to cry. I've cried enough. I'm too old to cry like a baby._

He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes.

_ I'm not going to cry._

_

* * *

_

Kushina bit the inside of her cheek to hold her composure. She hated leaving him when he looked so fragile and afraid, but as she'd told him she had work to do here. If she hadn't torn herself away, she would've stayed with him until he was well enough to come with her and ignored everything else.

"So, where is this Mangetsu guy?" she demanded as she stood in the backyard.

"He's still out," Yamato shrugged as he stood just outside of the back door of the dilapidated house. "He should be back soon."

"Damn it!" she snarled quietly. "I wanted to discuss the full moon with him!"

"You could wait?" Yamato hesitantly suggested.

"…No, if I don't leave now I won't leave," she sighed, clutching the straps of her bag tight in frustration. "You tell him when he comes back that I want to talk to him."

"Sure thing," the feline-masked ANBU agreed.

"Thanks," Kushina muttered.

Sucking in a deep breath, she ran up the trunk of one of the overgrown backyard trees and used it to hop onto a nearby telephone pole so she could run along the non-electrified wires (strung from the poles specifically for shinobi use) back towards the bustling heart of Konoha.

She'd had to get out of that house. It wasn't just because she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave her son if she didn't go at that moment. But also because her sinuses had started to really clear up after all her crying, and every inhalation had her thinking that she smelled traces of Minato in the air…which was quite impossible.

_What a __**fantastic**__ time to start losing my grip on reality!_


	34. Red is Back

**Chapter 33**

_Red is Back_

It was nearly dinner time when Mangetsu returned to the house. Yamato conveyed Kushina's desire to discuss the upcoming full moon to him before departing. Mangetsu sighed and secured the house before skulking off to see what Naruto was up to.

The boy was asleep on the couch. There was a subtle pinched look to his face, like he was upset. He probably was unhappy that his mother had left him behind. After such a long separation it would be hard for him to be satisfied with such a short visit.

He raised an eyebrow behind his mask at some of the things left on the couch near Naruto. There were a couple of his old kunai lying on the couch arm, stripped of their seal papers and a tad rusty. And draped over the back of the seat was his old flame coat—a gift from the toad demons after completing Fukasaku's training.

_Kushina must've brought them over._

The ANBU removed his mask, hooked it to his belt, and picked up the coat and sniffed it. Kushina's scent clung to the fabric and he thought she'd probably worn it sometimes, maybe even slept in it. His lips twitched towards a faint smile as he ran his gloved hand over the coat.

_It figures that she would've run off with this; she loved this damn thing._

Sighing, he used the coat as a blanket and covered the napping boy up. The lingering scent of his mother on it eased his unconscious mind and the faint tension in his sleeping face eased into slack peacefulness. Mangetsu indulged in a few caresses of his son's hair before walking back to the kitchen to decide what he should cook for dinner.

_…I don't know what I'm going to do._

He had planned on being alone with Naruto on the full moon, revealing his werewolf abilities and perhaps training him a bit if the boy was up to it. He hadn't entirely decided on how he would manage the night and introduce Naruto to his werewolf side. But now Kushina was in the village and wanted in on the night.

With her there, Naruto would most likely focus on her and just want to play. And there was the question of how she would react to a full-blooded fully-transformed werewolf. Would she be able to trust him with Naruto? Would she be suspicious of him? Would she get in a fight with him and upset Naruto?

Perhaps…he could ignore her request to talk and avoid her. There were less than three days until the night of the full moon. All he had to do was duck out when she stopped by to visit and then sneak the boy out of the village on the third day before the sun went down. With his _hiraishin_ it would be so easy…

_But that would piss her off,_ he knew. _She'd throw a fit and stir up trouble trying to find him. And if…when she finds out about me, it'll only get worse._

He stood in front of the pantry, crippled with indecision that had nothing to do with meal choices. He'd made plenty of hard decisions before. Why couldn't he make up his mind now?

_…I've gone Omega,_ he thought with a flinch.

In his self-imposed exile he'd been an outsider wherever he'd gone. He had no back-up to call upon, no home to go to, nothing at all. Instead of taking charge of situations and fighting to defend himself, he ran when conflict reared its head. His mentality had shifted from that of an Alpha, a dominant wolf, to that of an Omega, the wolf at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

So, now that he was faced with a cluster of tricky problems, his impulse was to avoid decisions and run instead of selecting a solution.

"Shit."

* * *

Inoichi had no real desire to pay the Hokage a visit first thing in the morning, but after listening to his daughter's friend's story he felt that he didn't have any choice. When he had been admitted to the village leader's office he had cringed at the sight of the Hokage. The old man looked like he had aged a good decade since the Trials had started, and with whispers of Orochimaru, sabotage, and the Uchiha's misbehavior Inoichi could understand the strain that he man was under. He felt bad for adding to it.

"Yes," the old Sarutobi sighed deeply. "I am aware of that particular incident. However, I don't have any information to share with you as Fugaku decided to stab the poor boy before he could be properly debriefed."

The Yamanaka tensed. It hadn't been officially released yet as to why Fugaku and a few of his clansmen were in ANBU's secure jail. There had been plenty of wild rumors making the rounds in the village, but to hear that there was any sort of truth to some of them…

"Why did Fugaku feel the need to stab this boy?" Inoichi asked.

"He had acquired some information that seemed to hint that the boy was a werewolf, and instead of going through the proper channels—namely, openly discussing the issue with me—he decided to take matters into his own hands."

The blond man grimaced in distaste. Whenever 'Uchiha' and 'werewolf' were mentioned in the same breath there was a headache close behind. Members of the Sharingan-wielding clan were zealots on the subject of werewolves and killing them, and it got on everyone's nerves.

Werewolves were dangerous, true, and given a slightly higher rating that they normally would have due to their contagious bite. No one wanted them around and whenever one was reported it was dealt with swiftly. But that just wasn't enough for the Uchiha.

They wanted to go on crusades into other countries and hunt werewolves down until the curse was dead. Unfortunately, Konoha didn't have the authority to barge into other nations on werewolf hunts. That sort of behavior sparked border disputes with larger nations that had their own ninja forces, and if border disputes weren't worked out they could swell into genuine wars. And that was very, very bad.

Of course, the Uchiha weren't concerned with that. All that mattered to them was expunging the stain of some disowned ancestor bringing the curse from far off foreign lands from their family. It didn't matter that few people these days were even aware that it was some Uchiha's fault. They insisted on making a huge deal about it and driving everyone crazy in the process.

"Are they mistaking this kid's possession episode for proof of lycanthropy?" Inoichi snorted. _I wouldn't be surprised if they did._

The Hokage didn't immediately reply. He took a long moment to stuff his pipe with tobacco and light it. After several long puffs and several minutes he seemed to come to some decision.

"No, I don't believe Fugaku had enough time to hear about it before he acted," the old man said. "He gathered some information on the boy's heritage that he believed indicated lycanthropy."

"The boy's _heritage_?" Inoichi almost choked. "What would that have to do with it?"

"Don't tell me that you never wondered about whether or not Minato's unborn child would somehow inherit the curse, Inoichi," the Hokage replied mildly.

"Well, yeah, who didn't?" the Yamanaka responded. "Everyone knew that he had to be a werewolf before he impregnated her, he had to have been one for years, and after so long it had to seep into his seed…" Inoichi frowned. "What does that have to do with some foster kid?"

"Every child has to come from somewhere," the old man smiled faintly. "They don't just spring up from thin air."

Inoichi frowned. He was getting the distinct impression that the Hokage was toying with him—having a bit of fun at his expense. If Shikaku was present he would probably have figured out what was going on by now, but Inoichi wasn't a freaking genius like his old Nara buddy was.

"So Fugaku found out who the boy's parents are and one or both of them turned out to be werewolves so he thought that the kid was a werewolf too?" he guessed.

"Basically, yes," the Hokage nodded.

"Huh." The Yamanaka sat back in the chair set before the Hokage's large desk. "Well, the boy isn't a werewolf, right?"

"Naruto does possess some lycanthropic traits, but also several traits that are clearly _not_ lycanthropic," the old Sarutobi replied, puffing on his pipe. "I've had him carefully watched ever since this came to my attention. While I haven't yet received a full report on his performance in the Trials so far due to Fugaku's interference, I have yet to see solid proof that he is dangerous or disloyal to the village. When he recovers from Fugaku's assault I may call on you to examine his mind if he truly doesn't remember this possession episode that his teammate reported."

"…Okay."

Trusting in the Hokage's judgment was usually the way to go. The ninja leader's only major blunder had been with Orochimaru, and considering how long the snake had fooled most of the village, and the student-teacher relationship between the two men, the mistake was understandable. And Inoichi had a good chance of examining this boy personally, so that he could make up his own mind, if he was patient.

"Is there any estimate if when the boy would be ready for a mind scan?"

"Probably not for the next five days at least," the Hokage replied. "And as his mother has recently arrived it will be necessary to get her permission."

"His mother?" The Yamanaka man frowned. "Isn't he some fostered orphan?"

"Not all children put into foster care are orphans," the old man pointed out. "His mother was forced to relinquish custody due to family pressures. She arrived in Konoha two days ago and she is not pleased with recent events."

"I can imagine," Inoichi muttered. _If Fugaku ever went after Ino for any reason, I'd get inside his head and make him wish that he'd never been born!_

"I'm sure that you'll run into her soon enough," the Hokage smiled. "You were acquainted with Uzumaki Kushina in the past, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I remember her." _Who could __**forget**__ her?_ "It's a shame that she felt she had to leave."

"Yes, it was," the old Hokage agreed and gave him a wave of dismissal. "Don't be surprised if you see her on the street."

Having nothing else to discuss with the village leader, Inoichi bowed and left the office. As he worked his way down several different flights of stairs to street level, he mulled over the Hokage's parting remark and the odd comments buried in their conversation. When he reached the Tower's exit, a startling possibility hit him like a door to the face.

_Kushina's back…and that boy…her son? Minato's spawn? Holy—_

Barely dodging an actual door to the face as some chuunin rushed inside, Inoichi slipped out into the sunshine and shoved his hands into his coat pockets.

_If Fugaku manages to walk away from this alive…it will be with pink hair._

_

* * *

_

Kasshoku was rather disappointed that the Uchiha hadn't exploded quite as spectacularly as he'd hoped that they would. Fugaku's heir, Itachi, had managed to leash his clan rather effectively so far. Not even the boon of having little Sasuke branded with a curse mark and cast out for his taint had helped the Biyokuchi further his plans.

_The Uchiha District is like a pressure cooker,_ he thought to himself as he slipped out of the small café where he'd had his lunch. _The longer young Itachi tries to sit on them with his father locked up in jail, the more pressure that will build. The trick will be applying the right sort of trigger at the right moment to get the real bang that I need…_

The Uzu-nin forced back a scowl as he glimpsed a flicker of what might've been an ANBU tailing him up on the rooftops. It seemed that ever since the day that Fugaku had attempted to assassinate the Uzumaki abomination he always had a shadow that he needed to lose. He supposed that it was possible that he'd been tailed even earlier in his stay in this village, but the fact that nothing had been done about him indicated that they hadn't seen him doing anything, or that the Hokage was senile and stupid.

_If the Hokage even suspects what I'm up to, he's an absolute fool leaving me in place,_ the hidden fox smirked to himself as he set about shaking his stalker by heading for the busiest crowds he could find. _A farmer isn't much of a farmer if he knows a fox is raiding his henhouse at will and does nothing to stop it. No Kitsune would be foolish enough to let a foe wreak havoc in his own territory. Really, how is this village still standin—_

"Hello there," a woman's voice greeted. "You must be that Biyokuchi that I heard was here."

Kasshoku snapped his head around so fast that he almost gave himself whiplash. The owner of the voice was a woman with dark blue-gray eyes and very long, very straight, very red hair. Her plain dark clothing was unremarkable, but the swirl of Uzushio on her hitai-ate immediately caught his attention.

"…I was not informed that anyone else was coming," he said slowly.

"How funny," she chuckled. "My clan had no idea that anyone from Uzu was here at all until it drifted to our ears second-hand. Why is that, hm?"

"What clan are you from?" Kasshoku asked warily.

Her clothes lacked any obvious clan symbol and red hair wasn't terribly uncommon in Uzushio. The fact that she didn't know that he had come both puzzled and worried him. She clearly wasn't Biyokuchi as he didn't recognize her at all and she wasn't a Kurohi…

"Uzumaki!" she sing-songed, flashing him a toothy smile. "And guess what, I'm stealing your job!"

"You're what?" Kasshoku asked sharply, his mind racing.

The Uzumaki was a powerless clan now. They didn't have the pull to send anyone to Konoha and they were too honorable to go behind the other clans' backs. So had the Uzumaki broken into factions with one of them allied with the Kurohi?

And what did she mean that she was stealing his job? Was this hypothetical faction of Uzumaki trying to prove itself to the Kurohi by outdoing him in destabilizing Konoha? Or had the Uzumaki actually sent an ambassador without village approval and she thought she was stealing the diplomatic job that was just his cover from him?

"I'm stealing your job because it was my job first," she told him smugly. "And since I have all the solid connections that you don't, I'll win. Konoha only needs one Uzu ambassador so you should just leave now and save yourself the embarrassment."

_So, she's actually taking the duty seriously._ He narrowed his pale blue eyes at the strange woman. _And she claims to have had this job before…_

There was only one female in her age range from Clan Uzumaki who had been selected to be the liaison to the Leaf…that disgusting werewolf lover.

"Ah…the infamous Uzumaki Kushina, how unpleasant to make your acquaintance," he sneered and folded his arms over his chest. "They let you off your chain?"

Her smiling expression faltered, but only for a second.

"So you're sticking around, then?" She raised an eyebrow. "What a shame. I've known Hokage-sama and most of the current major clan heads for years and years. They'll trust me over you any day. You'll never have anything important to do here."

Kasshoku snorted and started walking again. The woman was an airhead; a joke. She would be nothing more than an added annoyance. It almost wouldn't be worth the effort of adding her presence into his next coded status report.

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and the disgraced Kushina whispered into his ear from behind.

"Before you go on your merry way—a warning. If I find out that you encouraged Fugaku to stab my baby, I'll out you."

"What are you t—"

"I'm sure that Fugaku would _love_ to have a brand new Kitsune skin to hang from his wall," she purred darkly.

The blood in his veins froze.

"You-you wouldn't!" he hissed.

"I would," she chirped and patted his shoulder before almost skipping away. "Have a nice day!"

_She's insane!_ Kasshoku thought as he watched her leave over his shoulder. _She's absolutely insane!_

_ What the hell does Yuudai see in her?_

_

* * *

_

Sasuke stood stock still, senses on full alert, waiting. Without so much as a sound, a flurry of kunai exploded from one of the trees that surrounded him. Snapping on his Sharingan he did his best to avoid the blades while moving as little as possible. When the barrage ended, Sasuke had a shallow slice on one arm and his left cheek in addition to the handful that he already possessed.

Kakashi dropped from the tree, eyed him for a moment, and nodded.

"Take a ten minute break."

The boy relaxed and dragged himself back to the entrance of the training ground where he'd left his extra supplies and his water. After taking a few good sips of water, he used some of it to clean his cuts. He started to stretch out when a shadow fell over him.

He glanced up, expecting to see his teacher.

Instead, it was Itachi was a large duffel bag.

"Good morning little brother," Itachi nodded. "Training is going well, I hope."

"…You shouldn't be talking to me," Sasuke mumbled, dropping his gaze to the grass.

"I don't care what the rest of the clan thinks," Itachi said. "You're my brother and I have every right to talk to you." He dropped the bag near Sasuke's water and training supplies. "I've brought you some things from mother."

Sasuke hesitated before unzipping the bag to see what it contained.

He found clothes—all the clothes that he'd left behind when the clan elders had commanded him to leave. They were all washed and neatly folded. And every red and white _uchiwa_ fan that had once been sown onto them had been removed.

"So…I guess I'll have to fix the rest of my clothes myself," he muttered, tugging at the still _uchiwa_-adorned shirt that he was wearing.

"Mother would help if you asked her," his older brother replied.

"She'd break the taboo and talk to me, too?" Sasuke asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"If you catch her outside of the Uchiha District of course she'll talk to you," Itachi said. "It would make her very happy to spend time with you."

Sasuke swallowed hard and scrubbed his face with a towel. With every passing day—every _hour_—he realized more and more how much he'd taken things for granted. Every morning his mother had been there with breakfast, washed and folded his clothes, and tended to all the little injuries he'd accumulate from training. Every day he'd see his brother and usually his father. He'd always had his own room and always lived in a real house in a neighborhood where almost everyone knew who he was.

Now he camped out on Kakashi's couch in the jounin's cramped apartment. He had to take care of everything himself. And he would be lucky if he saw any member of his family, not that they would ever acknowledge him now.

"Foolish little brother." Sasuke looked up in time to feel his older brother's two fingers poking him in the forehead. "Don't be so sad."

"Why not?" Sasuke demanded sullenly. "What is there to be happy about?"

"You're still alive and still have a good shot at being promoted to chuunin," Itachi calmly pointed out. "I actually envy you a little bit, Sasuke."

"What's there to envy?"

"There are days that I wish I could move out of the Uchiha District and live on my own, out from under the eyes of the entire clan," his older brother said. "Without the Uchiha name, I would be free of a lot of expectations and people would see me for myself and not as another Uchiha."

Sasuke stared at his brother, trying to see what he was getting at.

"You have the chance to really make a name for yourself," Itachi continued. "You can prove that not all wielders of the Sharingan are alike."

"What do you mean?" the boy wondered with a frown.

"Those outside the clan do not have a very favorable opinion of the Uchiha," his brother explained. "They respect our power, yes, but little else. We are seen as arrogant, in-bred snobs without any sense of humor or the ability to smile. If the village didn't need the abilities of the Sharingan, they probably wouldn't have agreed to allow our clan to be part of its initial formation centuries ago."

"People really think that?" Sasuke sputtered, outraged.

"They do," Kakashi agreed, leaning up against a tree several yards away. "And foreigners have even worse opinions. Foreign ninjas have a hard time believing that Konoha puts up with the Uchiha."

"Why?" the boy asked, looking back and forth between his teacher and his brother.

"They live apart in their own exclusive neighborhood and rarely invite anyone in," Kakashi said. "And if they ever compliment a non-Uchiha it's so backhanded most people take them to be thinly veiled insults. Those two facts alone allow the Hyuuga clan to rank above the Uchiha in the minds of most of the ninja population."

"Exactly," Itachi nodded. "The Uchiha don't respect non-Uchiha and so the rest of the village's ninja resent the clan."

Sasuke plucked at some blades of grass in agitation before glancing over at his jounin sensei.

"Is the break over, yet?"

"Hmm…" Kakashi pulled a watch out of his pocket and consulted for a moment before nodding. "Sure."

"Okay," Sasuke muttered and stood up, bowing briefly to his brother. "Thank you for bringing me my clothes, Itachi."

The Uchiha nodded in return and walked away.

Sasuke watched him go before turning back to his teacher and his training so that he didn't have to think about his old clan, how he missed it, and how less and less perfect it seemed the longer that he was away.

* * *

Naruto fidgeted restlessly at the kitchen table as he waited for his mother to hopefully appear. He'd already bolted down his lunch of stuffed rice balls and had probably driven Mangetsu mad asking if the ANBU knew if his mother was coming yet every five minutes. The boy traced random patterns on the tabletop and glanced furtively at the back door where Mangetsu was loitering.

"…Do you know if she's coming yet?"

"No, Naruto, I don't—" The ANBU stopped and tilted his masked head, as if listening to something. "Oh, here she comes."

Mangetsu pressed his hand against the door, apparently to disengage some security measure—

Naruto blinked and he was gone. No hand seals, no burst of smoke—he just vanished in an instant with barely a sound. He was still staring at the empty spot in shock when his mother opened the door and strode inside.

"Hey! …What are you staring at?"

"Nothing," Naruto answered truthfully and hopped off his chair to limp over to her as quickly as he could to hug her. "Hi mom!"

"How are you," she smiled, hugging him back. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, lots," Naruto grinned. "I might not even need as many bandages by tomorrow!"

"Very good, and have you eaten lunch yet?" When he nodded, she whipped out a bag of chocolate candies. "Good, I was hoping to split these." Herding him towards the living room couch, she glanced around. "Where's this Mangetsu guy who's supposed to be here?"

"He left," Naruto said and flopped onto the couch.

"Did he say where he was going?" his mother asked as she sat beside him and tore open the candy bag.

"Nope," the boy shrugged and snagged a handful of candy-coated chocolates from the bag. "He just unlocked the door for you and left."

"Hmm, that's twice now that he vanishes when I show up," she frowned and tossed a few candies in her mouth, crunching on them hard. "It's almost like he's avoiding me… I don't like that."

"I'll let him know," Naruto offered cheerfully.

"You do that," she muttered, almost pouting. "Well, I've got a couple of hours so let's look at some pictures and then you can tell me stories about your team. How does that sound?"

Naruto flashed her a thumb's up while shoving more chocolate into his mouth.

"Don't put so much in your mouth at one time," she warned him and took an envelope out of one of her pockets. "Now it's story time!"

She pulled the photos out of the envelope and haphazardly spread them out on top of an emptied cardboard box. Some pictures were older than others and they had a bunch of different people in them. But all the photos had one thing in common: the same guy was in all of them somewhere.

Naruto picked up what seemed to be the oldest of the pictures. The guy looked to be about Naruto's age and there was an eerie resemblance between them. The mystery blond genin had been captured flashing the photographer a really cheesy smile that made him look incredibly dorky.

_Wait a minute, isn't this…?_

He thought back to months earlier, before the Trials, when the Hokage had confronted him about being a werewolf and the old man had shown him two pictures. One had been his mother. And the other had been his father.

All of the pictures his mother had brought for him were of his father.

He scowled—

"Ow—hey!" Naruto whined as his mother tweaked his ear.

"Don't make faces like that," she scolded and then gestured to the picture in his hand. "Now, this was taken of your father about the same time that I first met him."

_This sucks,_ Naruto huffed, glowering at the stupid picture of his very young sire. _First his stuff, and now pictures and stories of him! And since its mom, I can't tell her that I don't wanna hear about it…_

"Back then I didn't know about his furry little problem," she continued, oblivious to his whiny thoughts. "All I thought about him was that he was a flake with a dumb smile, and due to a little misunderstanding when we were first introduced I ended up punching him in the face."

_…Okay, maybe this won't be so bad._


	35. Chess and Tea

**Chapter 34**

_Chess and Tea_

Mangetsu perched in a sheltered spot on the roof while he waited for Kushina to leave. He didn't want to cut into Naruto's time with his mother, or meet with her while in the neighborhood. However she decided to react to him, there would be yelling, and yelling would destroy the impression that this house was still abandoned and uninhabited, at the very least.

He would meet with her someplace quiet and out of the way, like a training ground. And to do that, Naruto would either have to be asleep or under another ANBU's watch while he was away. Mangetsu tried to think of some ANBU that he knew well enough to trust that would be free for babysitting duty, but he was only familiar with a handful.

_From what I remember…Crane has tail duty on that Kasshoku character. Spider is leading a team to acquire some demons for the final phase of the Trials. Yamato has a few shifts of keeping an eye on the Uchiha. Perhaps I can bribe Sparrow to stay longer when she stops by tomorrow…_

The back door creaked open and Mangetsu took care to make sure that his light camouflage jutsu was still active. He stayed still as she left and didn't move until she was well out of sight. Then he ended his jutsu, slid off the roof, and walked back into the house, sealing the door behind him.

"Mom wasn't happy that you weren't here," Naruto said in greeting to him as he ambled into the living room. "She thinks that you're avoiding her."

"I just don't want to take up her precious time with you," Mangetsu replied. "I'll be looking for her later."

"Okay," Naruto shrugged.

The ANBU watched the boy for a minute. He was trying to act upbeat, but he was still unhappy that his mother had left him behind again. Mangetsu felt bad but until Naruto was sufficiently recovered it wasn't safe to let the boy leave the house.

"So, did you have a good time?" the ANBU asked, taking a seat on the couch with him.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded. "We swapped stories."

"What sort of stories?"

Naruto immediately launched into a summary of most of the embarrassing moments of Namikaze Minato's life from his first meeting with Kushina where she'd given him a black eye up to dragging Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza home from a bachelor party and getting vomited on twice in the process. Mangetsu was grateful for his mask because there was no way that he could've kept his dismay from his face. Naruto was downright gleeful by the time he was done and started listing his own adventures that he'd told his mother about.

_Kushina hates me,_ he sulked as Naruto chattered away. _Every moment of humiliation that wasn't sex-related and nothing at all flattering about me. Naruto has to believe that I'm some sort of klutzy clown._

…_At least he enjoyed story time._

After Naruto was done sharing all the tales he'd told his mother, Mangetsu had a few thoughts. This chuunin, Mizuki, had probably already been dealt with, but he wished for a good ten minutes alone with the little creep to teach him a lesson. The other chuunin, Iruka, deserved his thanks for looking after Naruto much better than Mizuki had. He needed to determine what book it was that Kakashi was so attached to, and if it was the book that he was afraid it was, he needed to burn it. And he needed to find out more about the Kyuubi.

A lot more.

_Perhaps I'll even arrange to talk to Kushina tonight…_

"…Hey, Mangetsu, do you think I'm in trouble for how I beat Kiba?"

"No," the ANBU shook his head. "What you did was well within the rules. You didn't set out to kill or permanently harm Kiba and you didn't go overboard or harm him when he was defeated. I'm sure that Hokage-sama would've preferred if you won through some other means, but you're not in trouble. I'll be sure to report your side of things to Hokage-sama as soon as possible."

"Okay," Naruto mumbled, picking at one of the couch cushions. "Do…do you think that the Kyuubi's ghost was right? That there's a way to get rid of my human blood and the werewolf curse with it?"

"It might be possible," Mangetsu hesitantly answered.

"Cool!" Naruto grinned hopping up onto the couch. "Do you know anyone who could—"

"Hold on a minute," he sighed, catching Naruto's sleeve and pulling him back down. "I wasn't finished." Mangetsu paused a beat to be sure that the boy was listening before continuing. "To seal away or otherwise remove half of a hanyou's nature has very dire consequences."

"Like what?" the boy demanded with a pout.

"When I was younger I read some ancient sealing texts that detailed attempts to make hanyou either fully human or fully demon. Those that tried to be fully human were left sickly and weak, and those that strived to become fully demon became dangerously aggressive and destructive. Whatever the hanyou tried to become, they always were left mentally unstable if not fully insane.

"If you were to cancel out your human blood, you'd probably be left as a fox-like beast with limited rational thought. You would not know your friends from your enemies; you would attack them indiscriminately. It's likely that you would even turn on your own mother."

Naruto's face turned ashen.

"I don't mean to frighten you," Mangetsu apologized, "but it's important that you know the risks. Even if those old texts aren't entirely correct, would you want to risk it?"

"No," the boy mumbled. "So…there's no way to make me not be a werewolf?"

"There isn't; not for one who is born a werewolf." The wolf-masked ninja gently patted the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

And he was sorry. Sorry that Naruto inherited the affliction from him. Sorry that there was no way to undo it. Sorry that his son had suffered so much because of it. Sorry for everything.

"Demon hunters…they don't know everything." Naruto looked up at him, wild-eyed and desperate. "How do you know there's no way to cure me?"

"It's true that ninjas who hunt demons rarely know everything about the creatures they hunt, but I'm sure of this," Mangetsu said. "I've tried to understand lycanthropy and find a cure for it for most of my life. All I've heard about cures are whispered rumors of remedies that would only work on the freshly bitten. There is nothing you can do, Naruto, but learn to live with it."

The poor boy looked devastated. Mangetsu felt bad for allowing the conversation drift into such grim territory. And he felt awful for crushing Naruto's hopes…but lying to him about his chances for normalcy would've been even worse.

"Are you sure you don't want to play a game of checkers?" the ANBU asked, eying the set up game board that sit waited on its makeshift box table, untouched.

Naruto mutely shook his head.

"How about chess?"

"I don't know how to play," Naruto muttered listlessly.

"I can teach you if you want," Mangetsu offered.

When Naruto didn't say 'no', he took it as a 'yes' and got up from the couch. He went over to his stack of boxes (resolving to either move them someplace else or unpack them, yet again) and dug out another game board and set of pieces. Laying the board on top of a different box he started setting up the different black and white pieces in their proper places.

"Since you aren't cleared for any physical training, we'll try and train your mind a little bit instead," Mangetsu said cheerily and pushed the box up to the couch. "Any preference on color?"

"I don't care," Naruto pouted.

"You're the white side, then," Mangetsu shrugged and turned the board so that the white pieces were within Naruto's reach. "Now there are several types of pieces, and each type has its own rules."

"That sounds hard," Naruto complained, seemingly determined to stay in a glum mood.

"Shogi is harder," the ANBU told him. "And once you can remember what each piece can do, it's not all that difficult. The challenge becomes outwitting your opponent instead of recalling how to move the pieces on the board, and depending on your opponent it can be quite the struggle."

"Is this really supposed to be training?" the boy wondered, poking at a white pawn with his fingertip.

"Of course it is," Mangetsu smiled behind his mask. "My old sensei taught this game to me when I was a little genin hoping to become a chuunin."

Naruto gave him a dubious look.

"Think of the different pieces as different kinds of ninja," the ANBU suggested and pointed to one of his black pawns. "The little pawn is like a genin—"

"Which one's the Hokage?" the boy interrupted.

"The queen," Mangetsu answered.

"The queen?" Naruto repeated with a confused scowl. "Isn't a queen a girl?"

"There has been a woman Hokage before," the ANBU chuckled. "But the supposed gender of the piece isn't what makes it like the Hokage; it's the power of the piece. It can move in any direction, and move as many squares as you desire in the direction that you pick, during a turn. No other piece has such flexibility and wide range of movement."

"Oh." Naruto scratched at the back of his head. "Is there a king?"

"Yes, there is a piece called a king," the masked man nodded. "It's very similar to the queen in that it is allowed to move in any direction, but it can only move one square per turn."

"That stinks," the boy frowned. "What sort of lame ninja is the king?"

"I don't think of the king as a ninja at all, but as the Fire Daimyo," Mangetsu replied. "The king is a weak piece, but it is also the most important piece in the game. In checkers you win when you've taken all of the other player's pieces, but in chess when you capture your opponent's king, you win. The daimyo is a civilian, but if he is taken out, the country could fall apart so he fits perfectly as the king. Do you understand?"

Naruto seemed to chew it over in his head for a minute before slowly nodding.

"Since the daimyo is lame but important, he gets to be a lame but important piece in the game."

"More or less," Mangetsu sighed. "Now are there any other pieces you really want to know about, or can I list them in my own order?"

The boy hesitated before picking up one of his white horse head pieces.

"This one…the horse-knight-thing…what sort of ninja would it be?"

"Knights move in interesting ways that can be used to slip through the other player's defenses." The ANBU tapped his knee thoughtfully for a second before completing his answer. "I'd have to say that the knights count as some kind of jounin-level ninja."

Naruto fidgeted with the piece before slowly putting it back in its spot.

"Okay."

"Alright, then," Mangetsu nodded. "Let's go over the last few pieces and then we can start playing."

* * *

Kushina perched on one of the little bridges set up in one of the quieter parts of the village and stared down into the water. She wanted to go back to that broken-down little house and take Naruto away with her so that she could walk through the village with him and take him out to eat at restaurants. But he wasn't healed yet and it just wasn't safe.

Hearing about Naruto's life in Konoha from Naruto instead of from Jiraiya had been hard. There hadn't been much mention of this Mizuki creep before, and hearing about how the chuunin had totally ignored Naruto and then turned around and tried to use him to commit a crime had made her blood boil. The other chuunin, Iruka, had sounded much better, even though Naruto had complained about how hard it had been to sneak away for the full moon with him around.

But the fresher information, like his adventures in the Trials, had been even worse to hear. She was very pleased to hear that he had advanced so far on his first try, and beaten a bigger Inuzuka boy. However, the way he'd won had worried her some.

And the Kyuubi had touched him.

When she'd undertaken the Trials in Konoha years ago, she'd been warned to not approach the monstrous fox's bones or touch them, but she'd thought that it was because of some old superstition. Now she knew that the evil spirit was real. It had touched her baby, and there was nothing she could do about it.

_If only I had been here to warn him…_

There were a lot of things that she would change if she could. She wouldn't compromise with her father; she would run away with Naruto and find Jiraiya to protect them. She would tell him all the stories about Minato before he got it fixed in his head that his father was a worthless beast to be despised. She would teach him all of her skills so that he could defend himself if necessary and be on his way to being a great ninja like his father. And she would make sure that Fugaku never dared touch a hair on his head.

Shaking her head roughly she pulled her mind out of fantasyland and shoved it back into reality. She was here to do a job. She had to kick Kasshoku out, prove to the Hokage that the Uzumaki were on the side of good, and take care of Naruto…and make an effort to do it all in that order.

Flipping her long red hair over her shoulder, she hopped off the bridge rail and started walking through the darkening village streets hoping that movement would get her plotting juices flowing.

_I've given Kasshoku a warning, but he's the sort of jerk who won't take me seriously… First thing tomorrow I need to meet up with old friends and convince them that he's a slimy bastard who isn't to be trusted. When they bitch to the Hokage, he'll have more clout to kick Kasshoku out and demand that Uzushio sends someone else…or no one else, because I'm here._

As she wandered aimlessly, she thought of how to convince the various clan leaders that she knew of her point of view. Chouza wouldn't be too hard to convince. Inoichi would likely be another easy sell. Shikaku might want to debate it some until she made it too troublesome for him. If she could put together a few canine-framed arguments she'd have the Inuzuka with her. Convincing the Aburame would be tricky as they really liked logic and Kushina didn't think in logical sorts of terms. The Hyuuga would be another hard one. And the Uchiha…

_Bleah, the Uchiha… Is Mikoto in charge now that Fugaku's rotting in prison? Or would it be Itachi?_

Kushina strolled past a playground and came to a stop by a light pole. The last few children at play were being coaxed away by their parents to go home for dinner. One dark-haired woman lingered, watching the children and their parents leave with a rather mournful expression on her face.

The red-head hesitated for a moment before crossing the street and sidling up to the other woman.

"Hey Mikoto, what's up?"

"Oh!" the Uchiha woman flinched guiltily. "Oh, I-I was just taking a walk and thinking…"

_And being miserable and missing one of your kids and angsting over Fugaku,_ Kushina silently added.

"I didn't know what he was going to do," Mikoto said suddenly. "And I-I didn't know that Naruto was your son. I'd like to think that I would've invited him over for lunch sometime if I'd known…and asked Sasuke to look out for him." She stared at the vacant swing set for a minute before looking back at Kushina with a question. "Why was he here by himself?"

"Lots of stupid drama with my family that I'd rather not re-hash," the Uzumaki grimaced. "Do you have any plans for dinner?"

"Well, no—"

"Good!" Kushina linked her arm with Mikoto's and started towing her off. "Let's go get some food!"

* * *

Her life had always been orderly. She had worked to be the best ninja that she could be and when a husband had been chosen for her she strived to be the best wife, and later mother, that she could be. Uchiha Mikoto's world had always been secure and certain.

But the week so far had unsettled every aspect of her life. It was like some vindictive god had picked up her world, turned it upside-down, and shaken it. Every time that she was sure that there was nothing else that could fly out of her control, something else would happen that made everything worse.

Sasuke had come home from the Forest of Death with a curse mark from Orochimaru's foul bite on his neck. Fugaku had disgraced the clan name by attacking a child werewolf under the Hokage's protection and gotten two men killed, and himself and another imprisoned. Sasuke was found out and cast out by the clan while Itachi spent more and more time trying to keep everything under control, and she felt powerless to help. Kushina, her old friend, returned and revealed that the child werewolf was her child.

And now her old friend was taking her out to dinner, functioning like nothing was wrong when Mikoto couldn't seem to do the same because she knew that everything was wrong.

They were at an outside table at a casual restaurant that was cheap enough for Kushina's wallet and classy enough for Mikoto's taste. It was getting to be autumn and the sky was stained with the fiery colors of sunset but the air was still more than warm enough to be comfortable outdoors without a coat. They'd ordered some tea and crackers to have while they waited for their meals to be prepared and brought out.

"…so I find this guy and chat with him and he's a total jerk," Kushina rambled. "Did you meet this Biyokuchi Kasshoku guy?"

"I…yes, I did," Mikoto nodded, recalling the brown-haired man who had visited her home while Sasuke was still in the thick of the Trials.

"What did you think of him?"

"He was polite, but not very helpful," the Uchiha woman said after a moment's thought. "I asked him about you and he said he didn't know anything."

"What a fibber!" Kushina snorted. "I'm quite infamous now in Uzushio so he definitely had plenty of nasty gossip that he didn't share with you."

"Fugaku had lunch with him that day," Mikoto continued, staring down into her cup of barely touched tea. "I didn't really pay attention to what they talked about, but Fugaku showed him Sasuke's team photo—that really surprised me. Normally he only ever talked about Sasuke with me in private so I was confused about why he'd be bragging about him to a foreigner…"

Kushina was silent and for a minute her friendly expression darkened into something angry. Normally when she was angry the red-head would get loud. An angry and _quiet_ Kushina was both rare and very unnerving.

"So Kasshoku saves all his nasty gossip for Fugaku and keeps you out of the loop," the red-haired woman grumbled. "How nice."

"It seems that way now," Mikoto weakly agreed, feeling foolish for trusting her husband.

Fugaku was a hard man, but a good man. He had high standards that he applied to himself as well as everyone else. He'd never beaten her or belittled her, he always complimented her cooking, he'd given her two beautiful sons, he kept the clan and the Military Police running smoothly, and everything had seemed so perfect. She'd never dreamed that she would have to worry about him angering the Hokage by harming her friend's only child.

"What a jerk," Kushina pouted and crunched into a cracker. "I'm so going to kick this Kasshoku guy's ass, _dattebane_!"

Mikoto managed a little smile. Some things just never changed. And for a minute it brought her mind back to happier times.

"So…did you get to see Naruto?" Mikoto asked.

"Yes," Kushina smiled. "Twice so far, and already I can see that he's doing better."

"That's excellent!" the Uchiha replied as the crushing weight of guilt lightened. "I'm very glad to hear that."

"I just wish he'd heal faster," the red-head sighed, polishing off her tea. "I want to take him with me instead of leaving him there. Naruto is a master of the kicked puppy look. I can't decide if it's his big blue eyes or the whiskers on his cheeks that makes it so effective."

"Do you think that when Naruto is better that…that I could meet him?" Mikoto inquired nervously. "I won't be offended if you say no. After what my husband did I—"

"You're not Fugaku," Kushina snorted. "You're my friend. And I can't imagine you doing something bad enough to stop being my friend. So when Naruto is back to one hundred percent we'll see about having a nice lunch with him or something."

"Thank you," Mikoto nearly whispered and spent several minutes focusing on her neglected tea until she was sure that she wouldn't start crying.

"When is the food going to get here?" the red-haired woman groused. "I'm getting hungry."

"I'm sure that it'll be here soon," her black-haired friend sighed patiently. "…Kushina, after you left, I always wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," the Uzumaki invited, propping her chin on the heel of her hand.

"Did you know…about Minato," Mikoto asked slowly, biting her lip, "before he…?"

"Yes," Kushina replied stiffly.

"And you…stayed?"

"Why should I have left?" she frowned. "I looked at his lycanthropy like a terminal illness. You don't leave someone that you love just because you find out that he has cancer. To me it was the same sort of thing."

"You weren't afraid?" Mikoto wondered. "Not even a little bit?"

"I trusted him," Kushina shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Life is full of all sorts of risks and I didn't want to regret losing a moment with him."

Mikoto thought of her own cursed son and found that she couldn't really argue, so she nodded and changed the subject to something less charged.

"So what sort of things did Naruto do as a baby? Sasuke would always…"

* * *

Kurohi Yuuta was grateful to have such a competent son and grandson. His son Yuuma had the patience necessary to keep the clan functioning well, which considering the mixed-bag nature of the clan was no easy task. And his grandson Yuudai was brilliant, very powerful for his age, and increasingly integral to their plans.

_Yuudai's idea to ally with Orochimaru was risky, but it's really paying off!_

Their pack of werewolves was growing by the week and after the next full moon barely two days away they would have the bare minimum that they'd need. The collars used to control them were also fairly easily adapted to other species, allowing them to forcibly recruit members of other demon races that would be useful towards their cause. And the extra scrolls that had just come in as thanks for the pups that they'd sacrificed were very, very promising.

Currently he was reviewing on that dealt with the serpent's experiments in the field of necromancy. Creating run-of-the-mill zombies was a wasted effort, but if he could uncover some technique or process that resulted in something better, more dangerous… And then a flash of inspiration sparked in the old fox's brain.

_If we could resurrect __**that**__…we'd barely need Orochimaru and his Oto-nin. It's located so close to the Leaf that we could destroy both Konoha and Oto in one blow! And after that, no demon-hunter force would be able to stand against us._

The old man flexed his claws and returned to his studies of the scroll with a feral smirk.

_Those old bones will be our greatest weapon._


	36. Run

**Chapter 35**

_Run_

Orochimaru sat in the corner of his lab that he considered his office. He ran through rosters and lists, carefully managing his limited personnel. He needed to have as many available for quick mobilization to Konoha as possible while still having ninja run missions and bring in precious income.

It was a task made more difficult by a lack of a definite date for the attack. Orochimaru preferred to attack during the final phase of the Trials when Konoha's forces would be stretched thin by so many foreign guests, warriors, and be distracted by the fights going on in the stadium. Uzushio wanted to attack sometime after that, when Konoha would be on a lower alert level with all of their guests gone.

_Their choice of time is valid,_ the snake-man thought. _But I've waited long enough. Sarutobi-sensei is getting old. I want to smite him before he dies of old age. Pure-blooded humans have such short life spans…_

A knock at his doorway drew his golden serpent eyes away from his papers. One of his young elites, Tayuya, bowed to him and awaited his acknowledgement. She was a difficult and rude girl, but she knew to respect him.

"Yes, Tayuya?"

"Orochimaru-sama," the girl murmured as she approached him and bowed again. "Those little furballs are driving everyone crazy. They won't stop crying for their damn mamas!"

"Don't whine," Orochimaru warned. "It's beneath you."

"Yes, sir."

"Now use that wonderful flute of yours and play them a lullaby," he instructed. "Show them that their mothers are dead and that their fathers don't want them. Teach them that we are their family now and that they should forget everything else."

A wicked smile tugged at the teenager's lips and she bowed again.

"I'll get right on it, Orochimaru-sama."

"Just remember to build them back up after you break them down," the man said. "And involve your teammates. Don't hog all the fun for yourself."

"Yes, sir!"

He made a gesture of dismissal and the foul-mouthed girl left in a much better mood than she had arrived.

_It's a pity that Kimimaro is off acting as a sensei for my little Oto-genin,_ Orochimaru thought as he turned back to his paperwork. _The things that he can do with his bones would surely terrify and impress those little fox whelps. It almost makes me regret that Dosu managed to make it to the final phase._

_ But then again,_ he mused, pulling a tiny pill bottle out of his pocket and rattling its contents. _Kimimaro is in the perfect position to stir things up a bit more. Since that Uchiha boy survived receiving the mark, he can surely tolerate my new enhancements…_

_

* * *

_

Mangetsu swallowed a sigh as he watched Naruto demolish his breakfast. The genin had had a lot of trouble keeping all the chess pieces straight so Mangetsu had walked him through the game again and again the previous evening. By the time that Naruto had finally given up for the night, it had been much too late to look for Kushina. So he'd gone to bed with the plan of looking for her in the morning after finding Naruto a babysitter.

While he'd been cooking breakfast, he had used his radio to ask around. As he'd feared the day before, none of the ANBU that he would've preferred were available. The few ANBU members that he could call on he didn't know well and most were too junior for his taste.

"Hey, aren't you going to eat anything?" Naruto asked.

"I already ate," Mangetsu answered.

"Okay," the boy shrugged and went back to the task of cleaning his plate.

The man in the wolf mask leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Naruto eat. The boy was recovering well, but with the full moon only one day way it probably wouldn't be enough. The change would hurt him and leave him more drained than normal. But in the long run it wouldn't hamper Naruto's healing by more than an extra day at most. The transformation itself would close what was left of his wounds so it would just be a matter of building up his energy.

"More chess today?" Naruto wondered glumly as he finished devouring his food.

"Later, if you want," Mangetsu answered, taking the dirty dishes from him and putting them in the sink. "I have a few things to do today so you'll have the morning to yourself."

"You're leaving?" Naruto blinked in shock.

"Only for a few hours," he replied. "There are batteries in the remote so the TV will work now, so you'll have something to do. And the seals that I've put into this house will keep it secure."

"No one else is coming?" the boy gulped.

"With the Trials going on ANBU is stretched pretty thin," Mangetsu explained. "But as I said, my seals will keep you safe and I'll only be away for a few hours. If I don't make it back by lunch, someone else will come by."

"Okay," Naruto nodded slowly.

"Relax," the man smiled behind his mask and ruffled the boy's hair. "There's food in the pantry and the fridge, and television to entertain you. So long as you stay inside like you're supposed to, nothing's going to happen."

"Okay, okay," Naruto repeated, trying to fix his hair even though no matter what he did it looked the same.

"I'll be back soon," Mangetsu promised and then warped away—instantaneously moving from the kitchen to a rooftop just inside Konoha's large shopping and business district.

The ANBU took a moment to survey his new surroundings before roof-hopping off in search of his target.

_Okay Kushina where are you?_

_

* * *

_

Itachi marched into the ANBU prison once again to meet with his father a second time. When he reached Fugaku's cell everything looked the same; the man was sitting in the exact same spot with the same posture. It was like no time had passed between Itachi's visits when in reality it had been several days.

"Father," he greeted through the bars.

"Any news on my release?" Fugaku grunted.

"Hokage-sama informs me that you will be formally judged in three days," Itachi answered.

It wouldn't really be a trial or a court marshal. The Hokage would call all of the major and some of the minor clan leaders together. Fugaku would probably get a chance to speak his piece. There would be some discussion. And then the Hokage would officially decide what to do with him and the clan.

"Hmph," the man snorted. "Any other news?"

"Orochimaru branded Sasuke with a curse mark," Itachi informed him. "The clan found out about it and drove him out."

Uchiha Fugaku finally had a clear reaction. He bowed his head for several minutes and Itachi almost thought that he was shedding a few tears. And then he straightened up as if nothing was wrong. The only thing betrayed him was that his voice was a bit thick-sounding.

"Sarutobi was a true fool for letting that snake run away," the man growled. "Slaying that creature must be our top priority. This tragedy must be avenged."

"Yes, father," Itachi nodded.

Orochimaru was dangerous not only to the Uchiha but to all of Konoha. The former Konoha-nin needed to be dealt with permanently so that no one else would suffer as his brother was suffering. Itachi would've set his sights on destroying Orochimaru even if his father hadn't ordered it.

"Also, mother is very angry with you," Itachi continued. "And she says that Uzumaki Kushina is in Konoha and furious with you."

"That woman?" Fugaku sneered. "She is nothing more than an annoyance. Pay her no mind. Her presence changes nothing."

Itachi said nothing in reply. His mother said that Uzumaki Kushina was Naruto's mother, and regardless of how strong or weak she was, Itachi felt that an angry mother was a real problem, not an annoyance. If she hadn't been mother's strange but good friend, Itachi would've been very concerned with how to persuade her away from waging a private war against the Uchiha.

"If there is nothing else," the imprisoned clan head grumbled, "inform the clan that I shall be home soon."

"As you wish," Itachi murmured, bowed, and was escorted away by an ANBU.

In only a few days, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Tekka would be returned to the Uchiha clan. That would make the rest of the clan happy. At the same time, whatever punishment the Hokage felt was appropriate would be announced and enacted. And that was bound the make the clan very unhappy, whether it was harsh or light.

Itachi dreaded all of it.

* * *

Sasuke found himself at loose ends. It was Sunday and Kakashi insisted that they took some time off training so that there was some rest time in the schedule. So while the jounin ran errands like visiting the Laundromat and the grocery store, Sasuke wandered the village streets aimlessly.

_"Go spend time with your friends,"_ Kakashi-sensei had suggested.

_What friends?_ the boy wondered sullenly. _My friends were my family, and I have no family now._

The only people his age that he'd ever interacted with outside of his clan had been his classmates in school. Sasuke was able to work with them when he had to, but he held his distance from him. They either idolized him as the top student in class, chased after him as a love interest, or were jealous of his talent and _kekkei genkai_. He had no real desire to spend time with them when it wasn't necessary.

As he passed by Konoha's ninja library, he heard a voice that made him cringe.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He kept on walking as if he hadn't heard, but the girl quickly caught up with him.

"Sasuke-kun, how are you?" Sakura asked worriedly, clutching a few books to her chest. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he growled, glaring at the sidewalk under his feet.

"If you want to talk about it—"

"I don't," Sasuke grunted.

How could she understand? She was from one of the most minor families. Her relatives strived to be desk ninja in the Tower or nurses in the hospital, or trained for civilian jobs. The Haruno family was no mighty clan with power, prestige, or pride. How could she understand how he felt to suddenly not be an Uchiha and to be parted from his family?

The curse mark pulsed painfully with his rising anger and agitation and Sasuke grimaced.

_"When it bothers you, it's a warning,"_ Anko had told him. _"When it warns you, calm the heck down. The more upset you get and the more it hurts, the more you'll want to let it loose and use it. And if you use it, you're screwed."_

She'd given him all sorts of suggestions for calming down when the mark acted up. Count to ten, count to a hundred, think happy thoughts, meditate, sing a song, and a dozen other ridiculous things. The crazy special jounin told him that she liked to practice the traditional tea ceremony to keep herself centered and Sasuke had a very hard time believing her.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" the pink-haired girl asked, still following him.

"I'm fine," Sasuke insisted, hoping that she'd get intimidated and slink off like she always eventually did.

"…Have you seen Naruto?" she asked after a very uncomfortable pause. "I haven't seen him at all since we got back."

"No, I haven't seen him," he muttered. _I don't think anyone will be seeing him for a while._

"Do you think we should ask Kakashi-sensei about him?" the girl wondered anxiously. "After what happened to him in the Forest of Death, I'm worried."

"I don't think he knows anything," Sasuke replied, recalling how Iruka-sensei had visited the jounin a few times asking about the blond genin without success.

"How could he not know anything?" Sakura sputtered. "Kakashi-sensei should be monitoring his training even if he isn't directly in charge of it. He's our sensei!"

"He's in some kind of protective custody, probably," the ex-Uchiha shrugged.

"What?" the pink-haired girl yelped. "What do you mean? Why?"

"My fath—Fugaku-sama thought that he was a werewolf and stabbed him," Sasuke blurted out, feeling a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Wh…what?" she breathed in shock. "The…the rumors are _true_?"

"Not all of them," he grunted.

Sasuke hadn't paid much mind to the rumors swirling around the village streets lately, but most of what he did hear was total garbage as far as he knew.

"But…but Naruto can't be…" Sakura sputtered. "He's _Naruto_!"

"I really don't think that-that Fugaku-sama would've gone and stabbed him without proof," Sasuke mumbled.

"But—"

"Sasuke-kun!"

The boy cringed again and then was tackled by a blonde girl flying out of a flower shop that he and his teammate had just passed.

"Get off," he growled, struggling to keep his balance as Yamanaka Ino clung onto his arm.

"I missed you!" the Yamanaka girl squealed. "And I was so worried about you with all of the rumors! You can move in with me if you want. I'll make daddy say yes!"

Sasuke couldn't help but shudder at the idea.

_Just how many gods have decided to hate me?_

_

* * *

_

Naruto was bored. There was nothing on TV but infomercials, soap operas, and really lame documentaries. And there was nothing else to do in the creepily empty and quiet house.

_I can't go outside—or even look outside—so what am I supposed to do?_

The boy sighed and turned off the television set in disgust. He shifted around on the couch restlessly, seeking inspiration for something to do. And then his eyes drifted over Mangetsu's collection of boxes.

_Just what is in all of those…?_

Without the ANBU around to ask, or tell him not to peek, he slipped off the couch and slunk over to the cardboard containers. Naruto hesitated, straining his senses to see if Mangetsu had returned and just not shown himself yet. When he felt sure that he was alone, he went for the first box and opened it.

He found basic navy blue ninja uniforms and jounin/chuunin vests in the first box. The next yielded a bunch of boring books on ninja arts that looked to be really advanced. And another had bunches of kunai and shuriken and spools of wire wrapped in cloth bundles. There were boxes of civilian clothes, extra bits of ANBU armor, more kunai—

_Huh?_

Naruto paused and pulled out one of the kunai to study it better. It was the same kind of kunai that his mother had said that his father had owned, with the longer handle and triple-blade. The only difference was that these kunai were newer and had weird seal-covered papers wrapped around the handles.

_Didn't mom say that only he used this kind?_

A little bit unnerved, he put the weapon back and went back to pawing through boxes.

The very next one, the one that had had the checkerboard resting on top, was full of framed photographs. The first one he picked up had a younger-looking Ero-Sennin in it, and three little genin kids—two boys and a girl. The next one had Ero-Sennin again, but just with one of the kids, the blond one.

_Hey…that kid sorta looks like…like that old picture mom had of __**him**__._ Naruto swallowed and rubbed a sweaty palm on his pant leg. _Ero-Sennin said that he taught him, so this isn't so weird…_

But why would Mangetsu have these pictures? He wasn't Ero-Sennin, and he wasn't the kunoichi from Ero-Sennin's genin kids, or the dark-haired genin. Mangetsu had blond hair—

_No._

Werewolves didn't become human again after they turned into wolf monsters. They got stuck forever. Everyone knew that. Naruto escaped that problem because he was a half-Kitsune freak.

Shaking his head, he grabbed the next framed picture. It looked like his father again, this time he was the sensei with three little genin standing in front of him in the traditional first team photo. Naruto quickly set it aside and snatched the next one. The kids in the picture were older and one of them looked a lot like Kakashi-sensei, but without the Sharingan, and…leaning against a tree in the background was his father.

_Kakashi-sensei mentioned knowing him once…didn't he?_ Naruto swallowed thickly. _But he was Kakashi-sensei's sensei…?_

But…_why_ did Mangetsu have these pictures? His mother hadn't brought them. This box had been here long before she first visited, and with the checkerboard resting on top of the box there was no way the pictures had been planted inside.

Confused and trembling for some weird reason, Naruto dug into the box again and pulled out another frame. The image was of his mother and his father with Ero-Sennin just behind and between them. All three of them were smiling and his mom looked pregnant…

He stared at the picture, at all of the pictures spread over the floor. He stared at the man who was in every single image. He stared at the man's features—the blue eyes, the broad smile, the yellow hair—and grasped for some reason why…

What if some werewolves _could _turn back into humans?

Naruto wasn't sure if he threw the frame on the floor or just dropped it, but the picture was suddenly not in his hands but on the floor and the glass was broken. The room was tilting. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. Things were getting blurry.

He had to get out of here.

He needed to find his mother. She'd be able to explain things. She would make everything better.

He had to get out.

* * *

Mangetsu crouched in a shady spot on a roof and looked across the street. Kushina was there near a mochi stand and eating some of the sweet bean paste. She'd run into the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and was chatting animatedly with the three men.

Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza looked the same as ever, if perhaps a tiny bit older. Inoichi was more serious than he had been as a teenager, but it was still easy to see the goofy womanizer that he had once been. Shikaku and Chouza were even more similar to their younger selves, with Shikaku looking like he wanted to take a nap and Chouza was eating something, as always.

Kushina looked wonderful. Her clothes were less colorful than before, but the style was the same. Her vibrant red hair made a nice contrast to her black clothes and he wished that he was closer with a better view so that he could see her deep dark blue eyes.

She was beautiful.

And looking at her again after so long made him feel like an awkward teenager again.

_This is stupid,_ he grumbled to himself. _In a few years I'll be __**forty**__! _

_ …When did I get so old?_

Shaking himself he tightened his focus. As soon as Kushina was alone, he had a note that he'd throw to her. It would give her a meeting place on the fringes of the village where she could freak out without drawing unwanted attention. And then they could talk.

No matter how she reacted, they would talk and—

A prickling at the back of his mind made him tense.

He had security seals set all around the abandoned property and the outside of the house that would alert him when anyone entered their field. It would give him an idea of their chakra, their identity if he was familiar with them, and their threat potential, so he could decide what to do about any intruder before they could become a problem. If it was something like a squirrel, he'd ignore it, but if he felt some assassin creeping up he could intercept them with his _hiraishin_ and move them elsewhere so that the neighborhood and Naruto wouldn't be at risk from whatever happened after that.

When he focused, he felt that something was going on with one of the windows; it wasn't open, but something had definitely happened to it. However, there was no one outside the house, not even a rabbit or a cat. So with a frown he turned his focus to inside the house. He had a lot less coverage there, just some _hiraishin_ seals spread throughout the interior that let him know where Naruto was—

_"Daddy!"_

Mangetsu jumped and looked down into the street again to see a young blonde girl dragging a black-haired boy by the arm with a pink-haired girl chasing the both of them towards Kushina, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza.

_"Daddy!"_ the girl cried, coming to a stop. _"Can we invite Sasuke-kun over to dinner tonight?"_

The boy didn't look at all happy and said something too quiet for Mangetsu to hear from his location.

_"Ino-pig!"_ the pink-haired tagalong girl seethed loudly. _"Let go of his arm!"_

_ "Ino, honey,"_ Inoichi started nervously.

_"That's your daughter?"_ Kushina snorted loudly, echoing Mangetsu's own surprise.

When Inoichi said 'yes', she started to laugh.

And it was funny. Inoichi, the man who as a teenager had chased girls almost as much as Jiraiya had (until he'd met his wife), had a daughter. It was ironic.

Mangetsu almost laughed, too.

_Focus now, laugh later._

Pushing away the distraction, he reached out to his _hiraishin_ seals inside of the house. There were some dead spots, like the attic, but his coverage was decent on the ground floor where Naruto should be. With how well-secured the outside of the house was, and how obscure the location was, it hadn't been vital to put sensor seals on the interior…

He couldn't find Naruto.

Abandoning his task of setting up a meeting with Kushina, he hurled himself back into the house. He popped into the kitchen and darted into the living room where the window that was bothering him was located—

His boxes had been rummaged through. The framed photographs that the Hokage had given him were scattered on the floor. One of them—a picture with Kushina, himself, and his sensei that had been taken mere days before he'd had to leave—was broken.

Glancing towards the window, he saw that it was shattered—from the inside to the outside.

The house was empty. He sensed no one else, inside or outside. The sound of a chirping bird drifted in through the broken window.

Mangetsu looked down at the pictures on the floor again.

"Shit!"


	37. Explode

**Chapter 36**

_Explode_

Yuudai sat cross-legged on a remote stretch of beach. Across the sea, just over the horizon, lay _Uzu no Kuni_. He should return to report directly to his father and grandfather about his delivery to Orochimaru, even though he'd already sent a letter, but he kept on putting it off. As much as he loved his family he felt no need to hurry home when there was no reason to.

Uzushiogakure no Sato was a small village. But after a few centuries of steady population growth it was starting to burst at the seams. Houses had been added on to so much that they became attached to the neighboring buildings, creating sprawling residences that contained dozens of families in some areas. Foxes lived on top of each other, and tripped over each other, and there was just no room.

The council had been debating what to do about this problem for a good three decades. Should they try to found a civilian counterpart to their village for all the Kitsune that weren't fighters? Should they try to acquire more land around the current village walls and simply expand the current settlement? Should they secretly send colonists to start a new hidden settlement in some hidden place in another country?

No one could agree.

_Soon it won't matter,_ Yuudai thought. _We'll conquer Konoha and move into the rich lands of Fire Country. Space won't be a problem, nor will there be any need for secrecy. Things will probably be more difficult once our existence is revealed, but with more room to hide—_

The hoarse caw of a Crow Tengu interrupted Yuudai's musings. He glanced up at the sky as the ugly black demon practically fell out of the air in front of him. The short feathery creature was heaving with exhaustion and it thrust a message scroll at him, almost hitting his face with it.

"Important!" it croaked. "Important, he said! Read, read!"

Yuudai grimaced and took the scroll while one of his Shadow escorts slipped out of the cover of the trees to see to the tengu's payment. Still sitting on the beach sand, he unrolled the scroll. It didn't take long to read it, and the message had him grinding his teeth.

_"Uzumaki Kushina in Konoha and seeking her old position. She has made threats against me. Please advise. —Kasshoku"_

That should not be possible. She was bound to the village. If she had left for Konoha someone would know. There was no way that the Uzumaki would've sent her back to the place where she had disgraced them. There was no way that the Uzumaki would break the rules and send an ambassador that hadn't been approved by the other nine clans. Clan Uzumaki was too chained down by their precious honor to send a representative behind the village's back the way that the Kurohi had done.

He slowly rolled the scroll back up and passed it off to his other Shadow companion with instructions to get it to his father immediately and then glared back inland in the general direction of the Leaf Village.

_What a vexation you are, Kushina,_ he thought darkly, allowing one of his six tails into existence so that its bristled state could highlight his anger. _I'd like to keep you as my pet and to preserve the unique power of your blood from its inevitable extinction. But if you get in the way, you will be eliminated…_

_

* * *

_

Hinata really wasn't sure what to do with herself. It was Sunday and Kurenai-sensei had given them the whole day off. If Shino was training, it was with his father. Kiba was at home with Akamaru. And Kurenai-sensei had gone out to meet a friend.

_"Take the day off, Hinata,"_ Kurenai-sensei had said at breakfast. _"Read a book, go out with friends, do whatever you like. We'll get back to training tomorrow."_

She thought about training, but there was no training with the Hyuuga scheduled for today and she wasn't sure that Kurenai-sensei would approve. She thought about cleaning Kurenai-sensei's house, except she'd managed to clean pretty much everything fairly thoroughly since arriving in her teacher's home. She thought about shopping, however there was no need for groceries and she had all the ninja supplies that she required.

So far she'd passed the time by cleaning the breakfast dishes. Then she'd looked for any dusty places or cobwebs that she'd somehow missed before. And now…she was out of ideas.

_What should I do?_

There were no friends to go out with. She's been very sheltered as a child and never really developed the social skills to make friends. In the Academy she hadn't spoken much with the other girls; they were all so enamored with Uchiha Sasuke and she'd never really understood why. The closest things she had to friends were her teammates, and she wasn't about to bother them on their day off.

_…Should I read a book?_

She had no books, not any books that would be for pleasure reading (she didn't think her sensei would be happy if she studied texts on the ninja arts on her day off). That meant that she would have to visit the library. The Hyuuga girl frowned very slightly as she considered whether or not she should go.

The startled yowl of a cat from somewhere outside distracted her from her internal debate. And then one of the neighbor's dogs started frantically barking. Hinata slipped out of Kurenai-sensei's house and into the backyard to see if there was anything going on. She thought about briefly activating her Byakugan to better look—

The dense hedges the ringed Kurenai-sensei's yard shook violently before something burst from them. Hinata reacted instinctively as the blur raced towards her. She side-stepped its charge and jabbed at it with a chakra strike as it passed her.

"Hrargh!"

Whatever it was skidded sideways and rolled a few times from the force and suddenness of her unexpected blow before coming to a stop…and revealed itself to be a boy.

He had messy blond hair and was dressed in green pajama pants and a gray shirt. He lay still in the grass and he looked soaking wet. The sight of him immediately sent a rush of panic through her veins.

She'd attacked a boy.

What if he was just playing? Running from a friend or a sibling with a hose or a water balloon? She'd hurt him for no reason.

"I…" Hinata choked, her hands rising to cover her mouth. "I—"

The boy moved. Just a twitch. A curl of his hand. And then he rolled to his hands and feet like an animal, regarding her with inhuman eyes.

They were like a cat's eyes—vertically slit pupils with irises that were a swirling mix of red and blue. They darted around, from her face, to the left, to her face, to the right, and back to her face. She couldn't tell if there was anger in his eyes or fear.

The cat-eyed boy crouched six feet from her, tense and still. There were dark marks on his cheeks like stripes along with a few bleeding cuts and his lips were slightly snarled, revealing the tips of fangs. A hint of bandages were visible poking out of his shirt collar. His ears looked overly long and pointed…and they were a bit furry.

The only sound as they stood there, staring at each other, was the barking dog chained in a neighbor's yard several houses away.

A corner of her mind wondered what he was while the rest of her sat numb with shock. He looked mostly human. He was dressed like a human. But he wasn't acting like a human. His odd traits could belong to a dozen different kinds of demons, yet he didn't really match any of them very well.

"I…I am s-sorry," she squeaked finally, surprising herself. "Y-you s-startled me. But you…you sh-shouldn't run through other p-people's yards like that."

The boy blinked, and then his brow creased in confusion. The red swirls in his eyes faded, leaving only blue. He rocked back on his heels, tilted his head, and stared intently at her.

"Hey, it's you," he said slowly, as if with some effort. "What's your name again?"

"Hyuuga Hinata," she responded automatically.

His voice was familiar. His hair seemed familiar, although it was wet and plastered to his head. And he recognized her, or thought that he did.

"Oh right…" he muttered and his focus started to drift.

He looked away from her, his eyes darting around again like he was frantically seeking something or thinking very hard. One hand starting plucking blades of grass, showing that he had claws for fingernails, and there were more bleeding scratches she noticed. He said nothing and didn't share his name.

Flickers of red started sparking through his irises again.

"A-and…and your n-name is?" Hinata squeaked.

The boy flinched and his feral eyes snapped back to hers.

"Y-y-your n-name?" she whimpered.

"…Naruto," he answered.

Hinata blinked.

_Naruto-san?_

He had the blond hair, and his eyes were blue. But he lacked his signature orange. And the strange animal features distorted his face.

"N-Naruto-san, why…why are you all wet?"

The boy frowned and looked down at his shirt. He pulled the damp fabric away from his skin in puzzlement. It seemed to Hinata that he hadn't even realized that he was soaked through.

"I…don't know." And then he noticed the cuts on his hands. "…I'm bleeding."

"Naruto-san, m-maybe you should end your jutsu," Hinata suggested.

That was the only thing that could explain his altered appearance. Kiba's clan jutsu could make him more like a beast and Naruto had to have something similar, perhaps a technique that made the caster cat-like instead of dog-like. And maybe the jutsu had mental side-effects for those who hadn't mastered its use, which could explain why Naruto kept spacing out. Or maybe he had a concussion.

Whatever it was, he should stop it and return to normal.

"Jutsu?" the blond boy repeated blankly. "What jutsu?"

"The-the jutsu that's t-transformed you," she said.

Naruto blinked and looked down at his hands again and this time noticed his claws. He ran his fingers over his face and tugged at his pointed ears. And then she saw him run his tongue over his teeth and feel the fangs.

"Oh…yeah…I'll fix this."

The boy closed his eyes and made a show of concentrating, however instead of the animal features fading away they intensified. His ears grew longer, furrier, and darker so that they looked black. There was the sound of ripping seams and Hinata could see a yellow, bushy…tail.

"U-um, Naruto-san, I-I don't think it's w-working," Hinata gulped.

"It's not?" Naruto stood up (and Hinata saw that he wasn't wearing any shoes and his feet were as scratched as his hands) and clumsily spun in a circle to see his tail. "…Crap."

Seeing his ears and tail, Hinata revised her thoughts of him from cat-like to fox-like. If the whole situation wasn't beyond bizarre, she would've found his appearance rather cute. But even though she didn't know Naruto very well she could tell that he was not acting right.

"N-Naruto-san, a-are you alright?" she asked, fidgeting with her fingers. "Did-did you hurt your head?"

"No…I don't think…" He was looking around frantically again. "I-I need to get going. I need to find my mom!"

Hinata bit her lip. Naruto was an orphan. He had no mother anymore. He definitely had to have some sort of concussion—he couldn't control his jutsu and the things he was saying weren't making sense.

"W-wait, please come inside." She walked up to him and timidly grabbed his wrist, and felt that he was trembling. "You're bleeding. You-you need to have your cuts cleaned."

"I need to find my mom!" Naruto insisted, narrowing his animal eyes at her suspiciously. "Let go of me whatever-your-name-is."

"Do-do you know where your mother is?" Hinata asked, cringing away from his aggressive look.

"I—" Again he scanned his surroundings in frantic confusion. "Where am I?"

"Kurenai-sensei's backyard," she replied.

Naruto didn't seem to understand her answer so she gave him the street address, but that only seemed to confuse him more.

"Where am I?" the boy demanded in a strained voice, his breath coming in gasps. "I-I need to find—where's my mom?"

"Naruto-san," Hinata murmured, hesitantly tugging at the boy's wrist. "P-please come inside. When-when Kurenai-sensei comes back she can help you find your mother."

As strange and unnerving as Naruto's behavior was, she wanted to help him. He seemed to be a nice boy and he'd tried to defend her against Neji's painful truths during their match. If she could get him indoors, treat his cuts, and keep him calm until Kurenai-sensei returned from visiting her friend, everything would work out.

"I can't wait!" Naruto snarled, the red again rising in his eyes. "Let go!"

"N-n-no," she squeaked feebly, keeping her grip on his wrist. "P-please—"

He bared his teeth and raised his free hand like he was going to claw her face and Hinata froze.

_He's not going to—_

_

* * *

_

Mangetsu crouched underneath the broken window and studied the glass. There were traces of blood, but not a lot so Naruto hadn't done more than superficial damage to himself. Loosening his mask a bit, he picked up the boy's trail.

He was best at scent-tracking as a wolf. As a human he could still do it, although any Inuzuka would be able to out-perform him easily. With his ANBU mask on, it was even harder to smell. But the trail was very fresh, and Naruto hadn't left the house since being brought there, so his scent stood out.

_He's starting to smell rather fox-ish…_

The ANBU followed Naruto's path through a good dozen backyards. The boy had vaulted over wooden fences and burst through hedges. Somewhere up ahead a dog was barking frantically.

_"(Intruder! I saw you! Intruder! I'll get you! I bite! Intruder, intruder, intruder!)"_

_If Naruto is looking for Kushina,_ he thought as he skulked towards the upset dog, _he's running the wrong way._

Mangetsu slipped past the dog, which was chained to the back of its house, and then entered a yard with a koi pond. It was a very large and elaborate koi pond that was also surrounded by a rock garden. And Naruto's scent dead-ended in the water.

For a second, he panicked and thought that the boy had drowned. But the artificial pool was much too shallow for any body, even a child's, to be swallowed up by the water. Then he spied a stretch of damp rocks on the far side of the pond and hurried to pick up Naruto's much-diluted trail again.

With Naruto's scent much weaker, Mangetsu had to go slower and keep his eyes sharp for visual clues as to the boy's direction. So far he'd gone in a fairly straight line but he couldn't just assume that Naruto would just run one way without making any turns. Mangetsu would follow the trail and find his son.

Just because this was a residential area with few ninja around didn't mean that it was safe for Naruto to run around in his state. The boy was very upset and probably shifting towards a beast. It was frightening the local pets and if he ran into any of the neighbors it would erase the secrecy of his location.

The ANBU peeked over the hedges of the second-to-last house before the corner of the block—

Naruto was half-transformed with furry ears and a tail that had burst through the seat of his pajama pants. There was a child his age with dark, short hair and pale skin standing near him and touching his wrist. The other child wasn't being aggressive at all but Naruto raised a clawed hand to strike at them.

Mangetsu was over the bushes and at his son's side in a fraction of a second, stopping the blow before Naruto did any damage that he would regret later.

"A-ANBU-san?" the other child, a girl, yelped and stumbled backwards, letting go of Naruto's wrist.

As soon as she was detached from his boy, he activated his _hiraishin_ and brought them to Naruto's room. Naruto wobbled from the sudden disorientation and looked around frantically, like a cornered animal. Mangetsu took advantage of his brief distraction to shut the bedroom door to hopefully keep the damage to a minimum.

"Did you really have to jump through the window?" he asked as he sealed the door shut and headed over to the window to reinforce it.

"I-I had to get out…I…" There was a horrible animal growl behind Mangetsu as he worked in insure that Naruto wouldn't be able to leap through the glass. "_YOU_!"

"Yes?"

Just as he finished and turned to face his son, there was an impact to his back. Naruto was clawing and striking at him, but he mostly just hit his ANBU armor and he moved out of the boy's range before he could bother to aim his attacks. He dodged Naruto's wild lunges with ease, even in the small room, and waited for the boy to wear himself out.

And then Naruto set his hands on fire and tried to slap him with the blue flames.

_Okay, _he thought as Naruto started leaving scorch marks on the floor and walls, _this is enough._

With a tiny burst of speed, he got behind the half-transformed boy and gripped the back of his neck. Forcing a small burst of chakra through his system he stunned Naruto into a temporary paralysis. The boy flopped to the floor and the blue flames shrouding his hands sputtered out.

"You need to calm down," Mangetsu said and dragged Naruto over to his mattress. "You could reinjure yourself."

He tried to remove the boy's soaked clothing but Naruto made feeble attempts to bite him. The boy's vulpine eyes had turned red—a trait probably inherited from his mother as werewolf eyes always stayed the same color—and snarled and panted like a furious puppy. Mangetsu got Naruto down to his underwear before the boy found his voice again.

"It's you, isn't it?" Naruto hissed, pinning back his furry fox ears. "You're him!"

Mangetsu checked the fox-boy over for injuries as he knelt by the mattress. His scratches from the window glass were indeed superficial, and with his shape-shifting he'd healed them all over. And his previous injuries hadn't been reopened and fortunately had even healed further, allowing for most of the bandages to be removed.

"Take off your mask!" Naruto shrilly demanded, every bit of hair standing on end.

"It's always polite to say 'please'," he responded, but did as the boy wanted.

Naruto stared at his unveiled face. The red in his irises darkened. His agitation spiked his chakra which boosted his healing abilities which in turn allowed him to shake off his paralysis faster. The boy staggered to his feet and shoved his chest.

"Go away!" he snapped, breathing heavily, fox tail raised and bristling. "I hate you!"

"I know," Minato nodded and attached the wolf mask to his belt.

"You made me a freak and ruined my life! They treated me and mom like garbage because of you! They threw me away and nobody wanted me and I was always so afraid—and it's all your fault, dattebayo! I hate you, I hate you, I—"

Minato put his hand on Naruto's damp head, interrupting the boy's rant as the fox-child flopped into a sitting position on the bed.

"I know that you hate me," he said with a sad smile. "I expected you to if you inherited my curse."

"You're supposed to be a dumb wolf now," Naruto scowled. "If you could turn back into a man, why didn't you come back? Why did you leave mom? She needed you!"

"For a long time I didn't know that I could," Minato replied, removing his hand from his son's head. "And by the time I found out that I could, Kushina had already returned to her native land and had you. There was no way I could've done any good if I came back."

"How do you know?" Naruto barked. "You didn't try!"

"I couldn't follow her to Uzushio," Minato said. "Foreigners aren't allowed in. If I appeared there it would've only done damage.

"And if she hadn't stayed in Konoha it would be no better. The Uchiha would've probably started a civil war over my presence and try to assassinate me whenever they could. That would've put you and your mother in danger.

"As far as I knew, it was best for me to just disappear. You and your mother would be away from my infamous shadow. And if you escaped my curse, you would be safe without me."

Minato shifted back on his heels and sighed.

"I thought that if you inherited the curse from me that you would be killed by the Uchiha or some other clan with similar views, so I never thought to look for you anywhere. And even if I had found you, up until very recently I was homeless and penniless, wandering the land and depending on the charity of others to get nice things like clothes. Although, after hearing about some of the places that you've been, perhaps you would've been better off out in the woods with me living off rabbits, fish, and pigeons."

Naruto just stared back at him warily. He didn't look like he was accepting anything that Minato had said, but he wasn't yelling about it anymore. Perhaps he hadn't found a new point of attack yet.

Watching him sit there on the bed, Minato was reminded of a puppy. Even when a puppy was trying to be fierce it still retained its cuteness. And although Naruto had red eyes and black strips on his cheeks he still looked sort of adorable. Perhaps it was his tail and ears and his small stature…and the fact that his angry expression looked almost like pouting.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I'm happy," Minato replied.

"Why?" Naruto demanded. "What's there for you to be happy about?"

"I've waited a very long time to meet you, Naruto," he answered. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Naruto's angry face melted into one of confusion.

"But…I hate you."

"I know." Minato ruffled Naruto's damp hair and stood up. "I'm going to clean up the glass now. No more jumping through windows, okay?"

Naruto didn't answer; he just slithered under his sheets and curled up into a silent ball.

Taking the silence as agreement, Minato slipped out of the bedroom and went to fetch the broom and dustpan.

_What a mess, _he thought, with more than the shards of glass on the floor in mind.

* * *

Naruto curled up into a ball under the cover his sheets and hugged his tail the way that he'd done as a small child. He felt tired, damp, and achy from his blind dash away from the house. And there were knots in his insides that only made him feel worse.

He still wanted to go find his mother, but he didn't know where he was in the village and he didn't know where she was, so there was no point in trying to run away again. He'd only get lost and get in trouble. His mom would come and see him if he stayed put and waited.

_What a weirdo. I'd be upset if someone that I wanted to like me hated me. How could he smile?_


	38. Bloody Habanero

**Chapter 37**

_Bloody Habanero_

Sasuke wanted to run but Ino wouldn't let go of his arm. He couldn't just hit her; they weren't practice-fighting on a training field. Sakura could've been more helpful, but instead of getting into one of the fights with Ino that she used to when he was involved she just made verbal demands of her blonde comrade that were ignored.

"Daddy! Can we invite Sasuke-kun over for dinner?"

"No thank you," Sasuke muttered, torn between keeping up his usual indifferent expression and begging Ino's father for rescue with his eyes.

"Ino-pig!" Sakura raged. "Let go of his arm!"

Again her demand went unheeded.

"Ino, honey…" Mr. Yamanaka began hesitantly while his two pals—Mr. Nara and Mr. Akimichi—looked on in amusement.

"That's your _daughter_?" a woman snorted.

Sasuke blinked and glanced over at a red-haired woman he hadn't noticed before. Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka formed a solid trio and they rarely were seen with anyone else. So he'd thought that the woman had just been some bystander eating mochi, not worth his attention.

As he took in her distinctive red hair, blue-gray eyes, and her facial features a cool feeling rushed down his spine.

_Hey, she looks like—_

"Yes," Mr. Yamanaka nodded. "Ino's my girl."

"No way!" the woman howled with laughter. "You? A daughter? That's too perfect! Ah ha ha ha!"

_…Naruto's mother?_

"What's so funny?" Ino demanded hotly, yanking Sasuke's arm in her outrage.

"Oh!" the woman gasped, rubbing at her tearing eyes before leaning in close to study Ino's face. "You're such a pretty girl! You'll be really beautiful when you grow up, Ino-chan," she chuckled and threw a glance back at Mr. Yamanaka. "The boy's are going to _love_ you!"

"Thank you!" Ino smiled, pleased but wary.

"You're an evil bitch, Kushina," Mr. Yamanaka grunted with a sour expression.

"Quit flirting with me, Inoichi!" the woman snickered. "You're married."

"I miss Minato," Ino's father complained. "He could make you behave."

The red-head's broad smile vanished into a look of grief.

"I miss him, too."

The air suddenly became distinctly uncomfortable. The adults knew what was going on. But Sasuke felt as lost as the girls looked.

"How does your foot taste, Inoichi?" Mr. Nara inquired.

"Shut up," Mr. Yamanaka grunted.

"I know we've said it before, but we're all very sorry about what happened," Mr. Akimichi said, putting one of his beefy hands on the woman's shoulder.

"Did he die?" Ino asked.

"No," her father said to her. "Worse. A howler took him."

It was slang. 'A howler killed him' meant that a werewolf had killed the man in question. 'A howler bit him' meant a werewolf bite and catching the curse. And 'a howler took him' meant that the man had succumbed to the curse and become a full-blown werewolf.

"Oh!" Ino gasp and squeezed Sasuke's arm again.

"Let go," Sasuke muttered. _I'm starting to lose feeling…_

"That's awful," Sakura swallowed, hugging her library books tighter to her chest.

"Yeah," the woman—a foreigner according to her hitai-ate—agreed with a grimace that she tried to force into a smile. "It was a real rotten situation. Now let go of that poor boy before his arm falls off!"

When Ino failed to immediately respond to her command, Kushina physically started prying the girl's fingers off Sasuke's abused arm.

"Wha—_hey_!" Ino squealed.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Kushina asked.

"No," Sasuke hurriedly answered, backing away from the girl as soon as his arm was free and massaging at the abused flesh.

"Well, that's not a way to make him your boyfriend," Kushina snorted. "That's a way to make him _never_ be your boyfriend."

Ino scowled at the woman and brushed the bangs from her eyes.

"I'm just trying to give Sasuke-kun the opportunity to have a nice home-cooked meal since there's no way that a bachelor like Kakashi-sensei will bother with anything more complicated than frozen dinners."

"Oooh, you're _that_ Sasuke," the red-haired woman said.

He felt himself wilting under her scrutiny. There was little doubt in his mind now that she was the woman from the photograph that Naruto had claimed to be his mother. She had the same red hair, the same blue-gray eyes, the same swirl on her hitai-ate. And her wild personality reminded him of Naruto's goofy idiocy. Having her there in the flesh, real, and staring at him made a dozen half-remembered nightmares where she strangled him to death over betraying Naruto somehow flew through his brain.

"Hmm…" She seemed to decide something and waved back at the other adults. "It's been nice talking to you guys, I'll see you around!" She snagged Sasuke by the back of his shirt and dragged him off in a way only slightly kinder than Ino's. "You come with me."

Panic slithered through his veins as he stumbled alongside Naruto's mother. He couldn't help but think of the awesome display he'd seen at the training grounds the day that she had supposedly arrived and learned what had happened to Naruto. And he had a horrible sinking feeling that somehow, someway she'd found out that he'd told his father about Naruto having her picture and how that had _maybe_ given his father the idea to stab her son.

"That's the price of being good-looking," she remarked once Ino, Sakura, and the adult Ino-Shika-Cho trio were out of sight. "Pretty girls are going to be after you until you're taken, and sometimes even then. Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Sasuke warily agreed, trying to sound normal.

"So…you're Mikoto's other little boy," the woman drawled, watching him from the corner of her eye. "She's really broken up over what the clan did to you, you know."

"That's what Itachi said," Sasuke replied.

She threw some food wrapper and napkin into a trashcan, steered him onto a deserted side street, and stopped.

"Do you know who I am?"

"You're Naruto's mother," he said.

"Yes, that would be me—Uzumaki Kushina." She tilted her head, giving him a sharp look. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Well…" Sasuke hesitated, considering his answer carefully. "Kakashi-sensei seems wary of you…and I saw some of the damage you did to that training ground a few days ago."

"You did, did you?" She pursed her lips and then sighed. "Your dad should be glad to be in prison where I can't touch him, but I know he isn't because he thinks I'm a loser. If he didn't have that damned Sharingan to read my moves I could totally fold him into a pretzel, dattebane! Oh well…"

Sasuke watched her anxiously, struggling not to fidget as he waited to see just what this was about.

"I know you weren't there with those jerks that had the knives and stabbed Naruto," she remarked. "You'd either be in prison with your dad, or you'd be dead. So…did you tell your father anything about Naruto _knowing_ that he would use it to kill him?"

"No!" Sasuke denied, surprising himself a bit with how sharp his tone was.

The red-haired kunoichi searched his face before nodding with satisfaction.

"Good, I don't think I'll have a problem with you." She flashed him a crooked smile. "So relax! And kick butt in the last part of the Trials! Make those Uchiha regret that they kicked you out of their exclusive little club."

Sasuke swallowed hard and shoved his fists into his pockets.

"Hey, if you really want to piss them off, have them announce your name as Hatake Sasuke when you go to fight the demons they've picked out for you," she suggested with an almost childish sort of glee. "That'll really get them frothing at the mouth!"

"I'd rather not," the boy muttered.

"It was just an idea," she shrugged and ruffled his hair.

Sasuke frowned and fixed what she'd done.

"So…you know my mother?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's an old buddy of mine!" Naruto's mother grinned. "We were excited to be having kids near the same time. …Perhaps if things had been different, you and Naruto would've been childhood pals."

A new sort of guilt wormed its way into Sasuke's guts. Now his mother had another thing to be upset over. His father had attacked someone who under different circumstances would've been a family friend (not that Naruto would've been Sasuke's _personal_ friend—probably just an acquaintance at best).

"Naruto is getting better every day, if you were curious," the red-head continued. "I won't make you be his friend if you really don't like him, but don't give him a hard time or take out your frustrations on him, alright?"

Sasuke nodded stiffly.

"Okay," she winked at him and walked off. "I'll be seeing you around!"

He watched her stride off in silence. When he was alone he turned and wandered off in some other direction, not caring where he was going. Eventually he found his way to a park and up a tree. Once he found a good branch he settled in there, leaned his head onto one knee, and closed his eyes.

_Everything's such a mixed up mess…what next?_

_

* * *

_

Hinata wrung her hands as she walked the village streets. After the bizarre encounter with Naruto and the mysterious ANBU-nin who'd spirited him away she'd sat in the backyard frozen with shock for a good stretch of minutes. Now she was searching for Kurenai-sensei and the guidance she would provide.

The girl chewed at her lip so much that it would have to start bleeding soon. Surely the ANBU-nin would make sure that Naruto got the medical treatment that he clearly needed. But she needed to hear that reassurance from her sensei. And perhaps her jounin mentor would have some idea of what sort of jutsu that Naruto had been using.

As she reached a busier part of the village Hinata gathered her nerve and started the hand seals that would activate her _kekkei genkai_—

"Hey, it's Hinata!"

The Hyuuga girl flinched in surprise and turned to find Yamanaka Ino running up to her with Haruno Sakura jogging behind her.

"You've got that Byakugan thing, right?" Ino demanded as she reached Hinata's side. "You can see really far, and through stuff, right?"

"Y-yes—"

"Then you can find Sasuke-kun for us!" Ino grinned.

"Ino!" Sakura growled. "Leave Sasuke-kun alone! The last thing that he needs right now is you stalking him."

"Relax, billboard brow," the blonde girl sniffed. "I'm not going to pester him for a date this time. I want information. Sasuke-kun knew stuff about Naruto, and I'm sure he's found out more from Mrs. Uzumaki…and found out more about Mrs. Uzumaki, too. Don't tell me you're not curious about it because I know you'd be lying!"

Hinata looked back and forth between the two girls in confusion. She'd never really interacted with either girl outside of class activities. The way they'd fought each other over Uchiha Sasuke made them very intimidating. And their sudden interest in Naruto was…bizarre.

"W-what?"

"Okay, here's the scoop," Ino said with an excited glint in her blue eyes. "So I spied Forehead-Girl and Sasuke-kun walking down the street outside my family's shop and crashed their moment before it could become a Moment—"

"Ino!" Sakura hissed with a glower.

"—and I dragged him off to find my dad so I could invite him over for dinner, and Sakura chased after us. Before I could get permission from daddy, some crazy woman with long red hair interrupted us. She said a bunch of weird stuff and I guess that she's an old friend of my dad. And then she snatched Sasuke-kun away from us!

"When she was gone, Billboard Brow let me in on what she and Sasuke-kun had been talking about before I jumped in. Apparently…Sasuke-kun's father, the head of the Uchiha clan, stabbed Naruto because he thought that the dork was a werewolf!"

Hinata inhaled sharply, taken aback by the shocking and absurd statement.

"I know," Ino nodded excitedly. "Crazy right? Naruto's just a harmless loser. But Sasuke-kun was sure that his dad wouldn't do the deed if it wasn't true, and my dad thought so, too. _And_ my dad said that the crazy lady who took him away is Naruto's _mother_!"

"Huh?" Hinata gasped. "H-he's n-not an orphan?"

"No, he isn't," Ino said, bouncing from foot to foot. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"So Naruto-san wasn't crazy when he said he was going to find his mother," Hinata murmured to herself, fidgeting furiously with her fingers as she stared down at the sidewalk.

"Huh? You didn't stutter?" Ino remarked in shock.

Hinata flinched. _I said that out loud?_

"What? When did Naruto say that?" Sakura demanded. "Did you see him recently?"

"A-about an hour ago…m-maybe," Hinata squeaked. "He-he seemed very c-confused, I thought…"

"Where was he?" Sakura asked. "Sasuke-kun was sure that he was in protective custody after what happened!"

"He…he ran into Kurenai-sensei's b-backyard," the Hyuuga girl gulped, feeling crowded as the two other girls crowded closer. "The-the way that he was acting, I-I thought that he'd hit his h-head."

"What happened?" Ino pressed. "Tell us everything!"

"U-um, w-w-well…he-he ran through the b-bushes and s-startled me s-so I…I hit him." Hinata swallowed hard and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pant legs. "He didn't-he didn't look right. His f-face—it was different. He-he had fangs, and his w-whisker marks were d-darker, and his-his eyes…they were r-red and cat-like—"

"Just like with the Kyuubi…" Sakura whispered, looking very troubled.

"The-the what?" Hinata wondered.

"Was he surrounded by a nasty cloak of bubbling red chakra?" the pink-haired girl asked urgently.

Hinata shook her head, "No."

"Well, that's good," Sakura sighed in relief.

"I-I told him t-to end his jutsu…and he tried to," the timid girl hesitantly continued. "But h-his ears got furry…and he grew a t-tail."

"A _what_?" both Ino and Sakura squawked in near unison.

"A-a tail," Hinata repeated in a tiny voice.

"He'd have to be a werewolf, then," Ino mused. "But…it's the middle of the day! There's no moon out right now. Is tonight the full moon?"

"No, it's tomorrow night," Sakura frowned. "Latent werewolves can change a bit under stress, but they don't grow _tails_…"

"But-but he looked like a f-fox," Hinata weakly protested. "He d-didn't seem wolfish a-at all."

"A fox? Really?" Ino tilted her head and brushed aside her bangs. "Are you sure?"

Hinata nodded emphatically.

"Maybe the Kyuubi changed him," Sakura theorized. "It gave him some of its power. Kitsune could change whenever they wanted to. So…now Naruto's a-a werefox instead of a werewolf?"

"Is that possible?" Ino asked.

"I don't know," Sakura answered helplessly.

"Huh…" Ino flipped her bangs aside again and turned her gaze back to Hinata. "So what else happened? What did Naruto tell you? Details!"

"H-he was very upset." The Hyuuga girl's index fingers pressed together, telegraphing her anxiety. "He s-said that he n-needed to find his mother. He was scratched up, he d-didn't have any shoes. I-I tried to bring him inside and c-calm him down, but that only upset him m-more. He w-was going to hit me, but an ANBU-nin came and t-took him away."

"Did you see where they went?" Ino inquired.

"No," Hinata replied, swallowing hard.

"Too bad," Ino shrugged. "It would've been nice to track him down a get a look at this fluffy tail he's supposed to have now."

"Ino-pig?" Sakura sputtered.

"Oh come on, Sakura!" Ino grinned. "Naruto might look cute in a weird way with a tail. Wouldn't you want to pet it and feel how soft it might be? And who knows what interesting information we could wring out of him…"

At that moment, Hinata really started to wonder if talking to Ino and Sakura about this was a good idea. They were chatty, nosy, and seemed…shallow. If only she'd been able to find Kurenai-sensei before these girls had found her.

"Anyway, let's put your Byakugan to work!" Ino declared, nudging Hinata with her elbow. "Find Sasuke-kun and we should find Mrs. Uzumaki and then we can tell her that Naruto wants to see her, okay?"

"Naruto-san's f-family name is Uzumaki?" Hinata murmured as Ino sandwiched her between Sakura and herself.

"Yep," the Yamanaka girl nodded. "Mrs. Uzumaki used to live in Konoha a long time ago, my dad said. And people used to call her the 'Bloody Habanero' because on her first day in the village she beat the snot out of some bullies that tried to make fun of her."

Hinata gulped in sudden dread.

"Don't worry," Sakura smiled kindly. "She didn't seem all that dangerous, just a little bit eccentric."

_That doesn't make me feel much better…_

_

* * *

_

Kushina frowned when she slipped into the house and found no one, not even Naruto, waiting to meet her. The ANBU, Mangetsu, was definitely dodging her. What a coward. He was not the sort of man she wanted protecting her son, even if Naruto liked the guy.

Closing the backdoor behind her, she headed for the kitchen table and put down the bag of meat buns that she'd brought over for lunch. Sitting on the table was a folded up piece of paper. Kushina snatched it, unfolded it, and skimmed the brief note that it contained.

_"Training ground #15, 7 PM, we'll talk—Mangetsu."_

Her frown deepened.

_Hmm…that's the field that I trashed, isn't it? No one will be there to overhear anything, then. But that's away from Naruto._

_ I don't like that._

She wanted Naruto to have some sort of say in the plans for the full moon. Once he was transformed, he couldn't talk so it was important that the details of what would happen were discussed ahead of time. And since this was all for Naruto, he should know what would happen and be comfortable with it.

Tucking the note into her pocket, she left lunch on the table and wandered over to the living room. Perhaps Naruto had fallen asleep on the couch while watching television. But all she found when she got there was a broken window sealed off with plastic.

"What the hell happened?"

Through the ceiling she heard the hurried thumping of running feet. Moments later she heard the footsteps coming down the stairs. And before she could turn around all the way there was a boy clinging to her middle.

"Hey, there," she greeted, swapping her scowl for a smile. "Why's your hair wet?"

Naruto's hair was damp and a towel hung off his shoulders. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of navy blue sweat pants. And his ears were furry and a fox tail hung over the waistband of his pants.

"Naruto, is something wrong?" she asked, rubbing one of his furry black ears.

"I washed my hair because it smelled," her son mumbled into her shirt.

"Are you alright?" Kushina pressed, using the towel to reduce the dampness of his hair.

"Did you bring lunch?" Naruto asked, ignoring her question.

"…Yes," she nodded, reluctantly letting go of her question for the time being. "It's in the kitchen."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed and dragged her by the arm back to the food.

As her son tore into a pork bun she noted that he had far fewer bandages. Now there were just two squares of gauze taped to his left shoulder and right side. In no time at all, there would be no bandages left on her baby.

The sooner the better.

"How's your day been?" Naruto asked between mouthfuls of food.

Kushina flashed him a suspicious look before selecting a meat bun and giving him a rundown of her day. She told him what she had for breakfast and how much she enjoyed it. Then she detailed the spots she'd visited and the people she'd talked to. When she got to her meeting with the old Ino-Shika-Cho and the appearance of Inoichi's girly spawn along with the exiled Uchiha, Naruto finally looked really interested.

"Sasuke got cast out?" her son blinked, pausing in the consumption of his second bun. "What for?"

"That mark that Orochimaru gave him," Kushina replied.

"But he didn't ask for it or want it," Naruto frowned.

"It doesn't matter to the Uchiha clan," she shrugged. "He's tainted and they don't tolerate taint in their perfect little world so out he goes."

"…Well that just sucks," Naruto muttered, flattening his ears.

"Indeed," she agreed. "Now are you going to spill about the ears and tail?"

"No," he muttered stubbornly. To try and kill the subject he closed his eyes, concentrated, and his ears shrank and un-furry'd themselves back into round, wrinkled human ears. And underneath the table she imagined that his tail was shrinking back up into his spine. "There, all gone!"

"Fine, be that way," she grumbled, poking out her tongue at him. "You fuzzy little brat. If you ever feel like talking about what's bothering you, I'll listen whenever you need me to."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grunted and bite into his lunch with more human teeth and renewed vigor.

"I was thinking that after you get sprung loose from this place, we'd go out for dinner with Sasuke and his mother," Kushina remarked as she polished off her last meat bun.

"Eh?" her son squeaked, looking a bit panicked.

"Relax, Mikoto's an old friend of mine and if I had any suspicion that she had anything at all to do with what Fugaku did I wouldn't have accepted her invitation," she snorted. "If things had worked out differently and you were born here I bet Sasuke would've been your best buddy."

"Ew!" Naruto grimaced. "Sasuke's a jerk!"

"Maybe if he'd had you as a friend from the beginning he wouldn't be a jerk," she suggested.

Her son's expression told her that he did not agree.

Not long after that they finished lunch, threw the bag and wrappers into the garbage, and relocated to the living room couch. When she sat down, he laid his head against her leg so that she could stroke his spiky yellow hair. He claimed that nothing was bothering him and yet little actions like these contradicted him. But prying hadn't worked so far and she was inclined to let things slide a little longer in favor of playing with his hair. It reminded her of Minato, and it was only made worse by the scent in the air that was so similar to his smell that it raised the hairs on the back of her neck if she paid too much attention to it.

"Mom," Naruto mumbled drowsily. "Did…did he want me?"

"Did who want you, Naru-chan?" she asked, digging the TV remote out from between two cushions with her free hand.

"…Dad," he explained, forcing out the word. "Before I was born, did he want me?"

"Of course he did," she told him. "He was really worried when he found out that I was pregnant. He was afraid that you would catch his curse somehow, or that he'd be a bad father since he really didn't know much about his own natural father. But whenever he'd shove his worries away and forget about them for a while, he'd get so excited. I'd lay on the bed and he'd talk to you in my belly, he'd ask me how much longer, and then he'd go and complain that it was too long."

She paused to rub at her misting eyes and swallow the rising lump in her throat.

"He wanted to see you be born and hold you in his arms more than anything."

Naruto didn't reply. He just snuggled deeper into her lap, curled up so that she couldn't really see his face. And after a little while his breathing evened out as he drifted off into a nap.

_I do believe we're making progress,_ she thought with a little smile._ After the full moon, I should be able to start feeding him some hero stories. Even if he only admires Minato a little bit, I'll be satisfied._

_ Now,_ she thought, her mood going a bit grim. _I just have to worry about this Mangetsu character. If he fails to impress me, he will find out why people in these parts compare me to a spicy hot pepper!_


	39. Flash Bang

**Chapter 38**

_Flash-Bang_

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he stayed up in the tree. But when he finally decided to drop down to the ground, he wasn't alone for long. Mere seconds after he settled on a direction to wander in search of lunch, two of his most devoted stalkers came around a bend in the park path.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino waved cheerfully, earning her a glare from Sakura who was just a few steps behind.

_Didn't I just get away from them?_ he wondered glumly.

"You're so hard to find!" the blonde girl complained. "If Hinata didn't have awesome eyes we would never have found you."

_I think I need to beat this Hinata person up,_ he mused.

"Where did Mrs. Uzumaki go?" Sakura asked, still burdened down by some library books.

"How should I know?" Sasuke grunted.

He was in no hurry to see Naruto's mother again. Even though she had told him that she wasn't angry at him as he hadn't conspired to do Naruto harm, he feared she wouldn't be happy when she found out that he had told his father about her picture which might have set his father on the path that he took. He glowered at the two girls, hoping that maybe they'd finally get a clue and leave him alone.

"Well, she left with you," Ino pointed out. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know," Sasuke grumbled. "I didn't ask."

"Darn," Ino frowned.

"Hinata saw Naruto and something was wrong with him," Sakura explained, adjusting her hold on her books. "We wanted to tell her about it."

Sasuke frowned, and then he noticed a third person. She stood several feet behind Ino and Sakura and was doing an odd fidgety sort of thing with her index fingers. At least, he thought that she was a girl. Her short hairstyle, lowered face, stooped posture, her name, and loose gender-neutral clothing didn't give much hint as to her sex.

"What was wrong with him?" Sasuke asked slowly.

"He was upset, he wanted to see his mother, and he was starting to turn into a fox," Ino summarized for him.

"…What?" Sasuke asked flatly. _He was turning into a __**fox**__? He's supposed to be a were__**wolf**__! Father wouldn't have stabbed him if silver hadn't burned him._

"That's why we want to find her," Sakura said.

"So are you sure you don't know where she was going?" Ino pressed. "Just a direction, so Hinata can start looking?"

"I-I don't k-know if I'd b-be able to find her," Hinata mumbled so softly that Sasuke barely heard her. "I've n-never met her. Th-things look different w-with the Byakugan…"

_So she's a Hyuuga,_ Sasuke noted. With her face turned towards the ground, he hadn't gotten a look at her eyes. _There was a Hyuuga in my class, wasn't there?_

"She's got long red hair, I'm sure that it'll still stick out," Ino said dismissively.

"B-but—"

"Hinata!"

They all stopped and turned to see a woman with ivory skin, wavy black hair, and red eyes coming down the path from the opposite direction. She was walking with a man who had a neatly trimmed beard growing along his jaw-line and a few cigarettes peeking out of his shirt pocket. Both wore civilian clothes—she had on a sundress and he was dressed in slacks and a button up shirt—and walked together hand-in-hand. But as soon as they were spotted, the man dropped her hand.

"K-Kurenai-sensei," Hinata squeaked in relief.

"Is everything alright?" the woman asked, picking up on the girl's anxiety.

"C-c-can I t-talk to you?" the Hyuuga girl almost pleaded.

"Of course," her sensei smiled and gently guided the girl off the path and behind some bushes so that they could speak in private.

"Hey, there, Asuma-sensei," Ino said to the man with an almost predatory gleam in her eyes. "On a date?"

"Ino," the man grunted warningly, looking profoundly uncomfortable.

"If you ever need flowers, come to me," the girl grinned and winked.

Asuma sighed and removed one of the cigarettes from his shirt pocket, a lighter from his pants pocket, and then lit it.

Sasuke had no interest in who was dating who and took advantage of the situation to think things over—things that had been stewing in his brain for days.

The picture of Naruto's mother that he'd told his father about had been important. He remembered how the expression on his father's face had changed when he'd heard about it. Something about knowing the identity of Naruto's mother had been crucial to his father, and although there was nothing to prove it he felt that it somehow tied in to his father uncovering Naruto's werewolf status.

Family ties shouldn't have anything to do with lycanthropy. Naruto's mother wasn't a werewolf; there would be a huge uproar accompanying her arrival if that was the case. His mother wouldn't be friends with the woman if she was a werewolf. So if the mother wasn't the direct clue, what about the father?

He thought about the Konoha werewolves he'd researched. With his expulsion from the Uchiha clan, he hadn't thought much on that; too caught up with his own problems. Now he remembered the werewolf that had stuck out most to him, the one that had looked sort of like Naruto. Namikaze Minato…

_"…I miss Minato. He could make you behave…"_

_ "…Did he die?"_

_ "No. Worse. A howler took him…"_

Sasuke chewed at the inside of his cheek in thought.

_So…if the werewolf, Namikaze Minato, is his father, fath-Fugaku-sama would know about him because his girlfriend is mother's friend, and he would know they were going to have a baby. With a werewolf father, maybe…Naruto caught the curse without a bite. Perhaps that's what Fugaku-sama thought when he heard about that picture…_

It could explain Naruto's dislike of fathers that he'd expressed early on in the Forest of Death. If Naruto became a werewolf because of his father and not from a bite, surely he would be angry with the man. And since Namikaze's ultimate fate was unknown, there would be some abandonment—

"Wait, he grew a _tail_?" Kurenai-sensei exclaimed from her position hidden by the bushes.

"Hmm?" Asuma-sensei grunted as he exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke. "What's going on?"

"Hinata said that she saw Naruto turning into a fox," Ino explained helpfully.

"Eh?" The man almost dropped his cigarette. "What?"

Sasuke half-listened as Ino happily spilled all of what she knew of Hinata's story to her smoking sensei.

_There's no doubt that Naruto's a werewolf…but what's with him turning into a __**fox**__?_

_

* * *

_

Kabuto frowned as Kimimaro left his apartment after an early evening visit. Orochimaru's protégé and the acting sensei for Dosu's team had developed a cough that was really starting to bother him. He'd come to Kabuto for treatment but the spy was worried with what he'd found.

_My medical jutsu barely healed any of the damage I found in his heart and lungs,_ he mused, removing his round glasses to polish them. _It's not any normal infection. Could it be…a side effect from the curse mark upgrade?_

Orochimaru had only recently developed the second level to his curse mark, giving the recipient an altered form and even greater power. So far none of those whose curse marks had been enhanced had reported any significant negative effects, and there had been no reported fatalities. But perhaps they were just taking longer to show up.

_I need to make note of this in my next report,_ he decided. _It could become a serious problem down the road. And if Kimimaro can't shake this off, steps need to be taken to preserve his bloodline._

A soft rustling at his window caught his attention. Replacing his glasses, he spied a snake slithering through the crack he always left in his window. It was small and ordinary-looking at first glance, but the unusual pattern of clustered comma marks on its scales revealed it to be one of Orochimaru's Summons.

Kabuto walked over to his window and allowed the demon reptile to slither up his arm and coil around his neck. It quietly hissed some instructions into his ear and then coughed up a tiny pill bottle into his hand. The Konoha-genin thanked the creature, relayed to it his thoughts on Kimimaro from a few moments before, and eased it back out his window.

_Interesting,_ the medic thought, gently rattling the little glass bottle so that he could hear the single pill inside. _Very interesting. I'll need to prepare some drugs. Even disowned, an Uchiha is still an Uchiha._

_

* * *

_

Naruto pushed his chicken and vegetable stir-fry around on his plate with his chopsticks and sighed. It was late, almost 6:30, and there was nothing wrong with dinner. But his stomach kept twisting and knotting and it felt hard to eat.

"Are you alright?"

The boy peered up from his plate to see Mangetsu—Minato—his father—whatever—sitting across the table from him. The man didn't wear his wolf mask anymore; there wasn't much point. He looked concerned and Naruto made a face.

"I'm fine!" the boy insisted and to prove it he gobbled down several big bites of rice, chicken, and cooked vegetables. "See?"

"Okay," the ANBU nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. "If it bothers you for me to be here, I'll wait in the living room for you to finish eating."

Naruto ignored him and shoveled his dinner down. He was going to show this confusing man that he wasn't bothered. He could eat just fine with the man's gaze weighing down on him. It didn't get under his skin at all.

"Done!" he announced, tossing down his chopsticks after he'd cleared off his plate. "No problem!"

The man chuckled a bit and took his dirty dishes to the sink to be washed.

Naruto laid his cheek on the cleared table and watched the man's back. They hadn't really spoken since just before lunch. The boy really didn't know what he thought of him anymore.

_"I've waited a very long time to meet you, Naruto. Why wouldn't I be happy?"_

_ "He wanted to see you be born and hold you in his arms more than anything."_

He peeled his face off the table, slid off his seat, and wandered out of the kitchen and into the living room. After making himself comfortable on the lumpy old couch Naruto let his eyes wander. Eventually they landed on the collection of unmarked cardboard boxes and he frowned.

"Why the heck is all that stuff in boxes?"

"I never got around to unpacking it," the man replied as he strolled into the living room and leaned against the far wall. "Members of ANBU are always on call so I only unpacked things that I needed, like plates."

Naruto flinched a bit in surprise and glared over the back of the couch at him for a moment before coming up with a question.

"Everybody says that werewolves go nuts when they change with the moon. How come you didn't?"

"I was lucky," he said. "When it happened, I was in a situation where there was no time to think or be horrified at what was happening to me. I had to focus or I was going to die. And there were people close by that were important to me that reminded me what my name was." His eyes grew distant. "I ran then because I was afraid that I would hurt them. Perhaps I shouldn't have run…"

"So all the rest go nuts," Naruto muttered.

"It depends on what the person knows when the change happens," the man replied. "If they believe what most of the world believes about werewolves, they'll most likely go mad. With no hope that they will survive and no way to stop the change, the human mind breaks and there's nothing left but animal instincts agitated by fear.

"But if they _know_ that they will be alright and are prepared for what they will experience, they will be fine. The human mind will stay in control and sane. And when the sun comes up and breaks the spell of the full moon, the human mind can bring the human body back."

Naruto rested his chin on the back of the couch and turned the information over in his mind.

"…I guess…that makes sense."

He remembered how sometimes when he got very upset he wouldn't just start looking like an animal, he'd start acting kind of like one. There were times in some of the other foster homes when he'd be out for the full moon and dogs would chase him, or hunters would fire arrows at him. He'd panic and his memories would get fuzzy or go blank and when he calmed down he'd be lost, not having remembered where he'd run, and he'd spend hours (one time, it had take two _days_) trying to find his way back "home". And most recently there was his freak-out that morning—he barely recalled hurling himself through the window, or splashing into some neighbor's koi pond, or raising his hand to rip off Hinata's face—

_Oh shit!_ Naruto swallowed hard and turned around on the couch so that he was facing the television set and hunched forward, wrapping his arms around his stomach. _I…I can't…_

"Did I hurt Hinata?"

_I can't remember!_

He really didn't know her well at all, but she seemed nice, harmless. It was hard to believe that she was a demon-hunting ninja—she didn't look like she could hurt a _fly_. A timid little girl like her didn't deserve to have been bullied by that jerk who was supposed to be her cousin (it reminded Naruto of himself and his older cousins, only she hadn't made any protest while he'd always done something, even if it had just been to wail for his mother so that she could yell at them). And she certainly didn't deserve claws to the face when it seemed like all she'd done to him was try to help.

"You know that girl?" the man commented. "No, you didn't hurt her. I stopped you and removed you from the situation before you could."

A cool wave of relief rushing through the boy's veins and he flopped back against the couch back.

"…Thanks," he muttered in a small voice.

"You're welcome," the ANBU-nin replied. And then he sighed. "I should get going."

"You're leaving again?" Naruto asked, again turning around on the couch to peek over the back at the man.

"Well, your little run interrupted a meeting that I was arranging so I had to push it back to later," he explained with a little shrug as he pulled his gloves and forearm armor (which had been removed to wash dishes) back on.

"Oh."

Naruto wasn't worried. He was well-hidden and if anything did happen his protector would be back in minutes. Nevertheless, a tiny knot kinked up in the pit of his stomach.

"I shouldn't be gone more than a few hours," the man continued, leaving his right glove off. "But just in case…" He bit his right thumb and drew blood. "I probably should have done this the first time… _Kuchiyose no jutsu_!"

With a few quick hand seals, he slammed the blooded hand on the floor, creating a brief seal web almost instantly obscured by a cloud of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, there was a cat-sized toad crouching there. It was purplish with a black cape and there was a collection of warts around its head and shoulders that made him think of an old lady's overly curly hair.

_That sort of looks like the green toad that Ero-Sennin had when I first saw him…only purple…and sorta girly._

"Ha! Minato-chan!" the toad croaked, sounding like an old grandmother. "I heard rumors that you were back!" She hopped up onto his shoulder and pinched his cheek with a partially webbed hand. "How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm well," he smiled. "I was hoping that I could ask you a favor, Shima-sama."

"Combat or non-combat?" the lady toad asked.

"It should be non-combat." He shifted his gaze over to Naruto on the couch. "You won't give her any trouble, will you, Naruto?"

"No," the boy mumbled, shaking his head. _I'm going to be babysat by a toad demon?_

"Oh?" The purple toad blinked a few times at him, then leapt the distance between the ANBU's shoulder and the couch with complete ease. "What a cute little boy! You want me to watch him, Minato-chan?"

"Yes, please," the man nodded with a polite smile as he pulled his other glove on. "The Uchiha have been picking on him, but they don't know that he's here so there shouldn't be any problem. Don't call out the search party unless I'm gone more than three hours."

"Got it!" the toad demon winked. "Run along now, I know how to mind little ones."

"Thank you very much, Shima-sama," the ANBU bowed, put on his mask, and vanished into thin air.

_Shima-__**sama**__?_ Naruto wondered as he eyed the lady toad demon. _Is she important or something?_

A pair of cold, slippery hands grasped Naruto's hair and Naruto yelped as the purple toad rubbed his head.

"Just like Minato-chan's hair," Shima croaked gleefully. "So soft and springy and yellow!"

"H-hey!" Naruto protested.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," the woman toad chuckled. "Human hair is so fascinating. Anyway, would you like a snack? Where do you keep the bugs?"

"The…bugs?" he repeated blankly. _She's not seriously going to feed me bugs, is she?_

"Yeah, the bugs," the purple toad nodded with a twinkle in her odd squashed pupils. "Nice lean protein. Nothing better for ya!"

_She __**is**__ serious…_

Naruto gulped, feeling vaguely queasy.

_Dad…you suck!_

_

* * *

_

Kushina grimaced as she picked her way to the center of the training ground that she'd demolished several days before. It was mostly repaired, but it had to lay fallow for almost a month to let it completely recover. It was one minute away from the specified meeting time and the sun was close to setting, leaving very long, deep shadows. When she reached the middle of the grounds—marked with a very large boulder—she leaned against the rock and scanned the surrounding trees for white armor.

_Where are you, Mangetsu?_

Her grimace deepened into a scowl.

_Mangetsu…what sort of ANBU codename is that, anyway? ANBU are almost always named after some kind of animal or even demon. They're almost never named after non-living things, and "full moon" is definitely a non-living thing. I mean, there's that ancient human myth about the father of all demons—the ten-tailed beast—being entombed in the moon by a mage—the Sage of Six Paths—who ascended into godhood, but then why not just call him "Juubi"?_

Her scowl lightened slightly into a thoughtful frown.

_I wonder what those kids wanted…_

As she'd finished up her dinner, she noticed Sasuke, Ino, and the pink-haired girl from earlier. When they'd spotted her, they made a beeline for her and had wanted to talk. But Kushina had had to brush them off, citing this meeting. She'd promised to find them later and then ditched them before they could follow her to this stupid rendezvous.

She pulled out a little pocket watch (wristwatches didn't last long on ninja wrists) to check the time and her patience abruptly ended when it indicated that it was exactly 7 PM.

"Okay," she called out. "You have five minutes to show yourself before I go to the Hokage and complain about you!"

"There's no need to shout. I'm here."

_That voice…!_

Kushina stiffened, then very slowly turned her head to look up at the top of the boulder that she was leaning against. A fully-suited ANBU squatted there, staring down at her from a canine mask. The ceramic mask was detailed in black with a crescent moon shape on the brow and it was framed by a spiky mane of yellow hair.

_That hair…_

She inhaled deeply. There wasn't much air movement, but there was enough and he was close enough that she could smell him clearly. The scent was one that had been branded into her memory years ago. It was like fragrant leaves and fresh wind with a hint of cooking spices and sunshine, and it had always made her feel warm and happy.

_That scent…_

Only one man smelled like that. Only one man had hair like that. Only one man had such a smooth, low voice. Only one man fit.

_…Minato._

But it couldn't be.

He was gone forever.

This was a lie.

Her Minato didn't exist anymore.

She couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her feet stumbled as she staggered away. She tried to burst the genjutsu that she had to be trapped in, but nothing appeared to change.

"Kushina?" the imposter asked and dropped down from the rock. "Are you okay?"

_Fugaku?_ her mind raced. _No, he's still in prison. And no other Uchiha would screw with me this way._

Kasshoku, however, was still roaming around the village. He was a Kitsune. With enough effort he could transform himself into a perfect copy, all the way down to his scent. All Kasshoku would need were pictures, vital information (height, weight), a video or audio clip to hear his voice, and a scrap of clothing or possession that still retained his smell.

"Kushina?"

There wasn't even a yard between them, and he removed his mask—

At the sight of Minato's perfectly mimicked face, something inside of her snapped. With a raw scream she lunged at him…only to miss. Her fists sailed through empty air and almost slammed into the boulder that had been behind him.

_Hiraishin_, was her first thought.

But that wasn't possible.

This fake just had to be fast.

So she attacked again and again. She launched jets of water and all the weapons she had on her person. She even brought out her special chakra chains. If she could ensnare him, she could suppress his chakra, even if he was stronger than she was, and leave him at her mercy. But he always slipped out of her grasp before the spines on the links of the chains could catch into his skin.

"Hold still!" she shrieked in frustration after yet another miss.

"I'd rather not," the phony replied from somewhere behind her. "Please clam down—or at least stop trying to kill me—so that we can talk like you wanted."

Instead of responding verbally, she spun around and tried to hook him with her chains again. It had to be Kasshoku. He was trying to confuse her, make her think that she was going insane. The weasel in fox's skin in human's skin had plenty of motive and the ability to pull this con off.

She kept on the offensive. The nearly repaired training ground was ruined again, probably even worse than last time. And her chakra stores were rapidly being depleted. If she didn't catch the bastard quick or run, she'd be exhausted and at his mercy.

When a chain attack failed to extend the distance that she needed it to, she knew it was time to cut and run. Gathering one last burst of chakra, she set off a watery explosion with herself at the epicenter. As the destructive waves that she'd created rippled outwards, she sprinted from the field.

Kushina had no destination in mind. All that she knew was that she had to get away. She had to find her way out of this waking nightmare. And after she had recovered her strength in a day or two, she'd track Kasshoku down and tear him limb from limb for impersonating her Minato.

Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. There was a ringing in her ears. The world outside of her body felt far away, fuzzy. Her thoughts and feelings were so muddled that only the most basic, instinctual thoughts rose out of the turmoil.

_Run. Run away. Run hard. Get away from the fake._

_ …And make him pay._

When he legs gave out, she had no idea where she was. She just sat on the sidewalk with her legs half-tucked underneath her and gasped for air. Her long red hair stuck to the back of her sweaty neck and hung in front of her eyes as she bowed her head.

_Stupid hair! If only Minato hadn't loved it so… I should've cut it._

"Kushina?"

She jerked up her head, but it wasn't the voice of the imposter.

Uchiha Mikoto stood frozen at the gateway between Konoha and the exclusive Uchiha district. Either she'd just returned from a walk, or was just going on one. Her old friend stood there for a moment and then walked towards her, kneeling down to be at eye-level.

"Kushina, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah," Kushina wheezed dazedly. "I tried to beat the shit out of him, too! But I missed."

Mikoto gave her a very worried look before taking her arm.

"Come on," the Uchiha murmured. "I'll walk you back to your accommodations."

* * *

Minato swore profusely in the privacy of his own mind. Most of the words he used he'd learned from Kushina. Things were just not going his way.

Kushina's explosive reaction had been half-expected and thoroughly dreaded. But he hadn't thought that she would run when she got tired. He'd hoped that after she exhausted herself they could talk and make some sort of agreement over what was going to happen on the full moon.

He'd tried to catch her as she ran, but her final water jutsu had obscured which direction she'd bolted in (and that she'd even bolted at all). When he picked up her trail, she was running along populated streets. If he was seen grabbing her and dragging her off against her will, there would be rumors. In the current village climate, sparked by the Uchiha's misbehavior, it could start a small panic.

And when she reached a relatively deserted area, she was yards away from the Uchiha district. Uchiha Mikoto spotted her, recognized her, and moved in. Mikoto was Kushina's friend, and seeing the Uchiha gently lead the exhausted, frazzled woman towards the busy heart of the village where her hotel was located, he relaxed.

_Mikoto won't do anything._

But he still tailed them by rooftop until the two women disappeared into the correct hotel.

He didn't want to deal with Mikoto right now, even if she was friendly. Kushina would probably spill everything to her, so the Uchiha clan would get plenty of warning that he was around. He let the two women have their space.

_Kushina needs time,_ he decided. _My appearance was too shocking. She's too angry at me to be rational. Maybe tomorrow…_

But he glowered up at the nearly full moon that was starting to be visible in the rapidly darkening sky he knew that he didn't have time. The full moon was tomorrow night. He didn't have the time for her to get her mind around his return as a human.

With a grimace, he warped himself directly to his bathroom.

Although Kushina hadn't landed a direct him on him, he hadn't escaped her tantrum unscathed. He was covered in scratches and scrapes and bruises from glancing blows and debris. His left arm was peppered with splinters from when a water jet slammed into a nearby tree trunk and exploded the bark. And his right ankle was bothering him a bit after a hard landing.

_Why is it,_ he wondered as he pulled out the first aid kit, _that after every long separation, she greets me with violence?_

"Ah, you're back!" Shima greeted him, clinging to the door frame to be at his eye-level. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just a little scuffle," he grinned. "Nothing serious enough for a hospital visit. Any problems?"

"Nope," the purple toad replied. "It's been quiet. Naruto-chan and I tried to play chess, but he's no good."

"He's only just started learning," Minato shrugged. "Thank you for watching him for me."

"It's no trouble," she smiled. "Good night!"

And with a puff of smoke, she returned home to her husband in the realm of the toad demons. Minato sighed and focused on picking out the wooden shrapnel from his arm with a pair of tweezers. But he wasn't alone for long.

"What happened to you?"

"Your mother," he replied, catching sight of Naruto peeking into the bathroom from the corner of his eye, "was not happy to see me."

"Really?" Naruto grumbled disbelievingly. "Why not? She always says how awesome you were, and stuff."

_Yes, by telling you nothing but a list of my most embarrassing moments,_ Minato mentally snorted as he used water from the sink to wash off his injuries. _Getting punched in the face, having paint spill on my head minutes before I'm supposed to meet with a client, that noodle incident, and always being the sober friend and suffering the not-sober friends' antics… Yeah, that's __**awesome**__._

"…She tried to feed me bugs," Naruto announced darkly.

"Sorry about that," Minato sighed. "I forgot to mention that we'd already had dinner. Did she find any insects to feed you?"

"She wanted to go cockroach hunting, but I talked her into chess instead."

"Good deflection," Minato muttered as he rubbed some medicinal cream into his scrapes. "Did you win any games?"

"Nope," Naruto pouted. "…Did Mom really beat you up?"

"No, she missed," he chuckled. "These are all just close calls."

"So…she won't be coming to see me for the full moon?"

"If she calms down and decides that she wants to come, I'll arrange for someone in ANBU to escort her to where we'll be," Minato replied and put away the first aid kit, satisfied.

Aside from getting out the splinters, he really didn't have to worry about the damage. If it didn't heal overnight while he slept, it would heal up completely during his upcoming shift. So he shucked off his ANBU armor, leaving only the black bodysuit on and hobbled out of the bathroom and towards his bedroom.

"Where we will be going?" Naruto asked uncertainly, peeking into Minato's room just as he'd peeking into the bathroom.

"To a small ANBU outpost about half a day's walk from the village," he answered, dumping his armor into a corner before digging into a box for something to sleep in. "There shouldn't be anyone around, and if there are they'll be ANBU and expecting us."

"Okay," Naruto mumbled.

Minato started changing into a loose T-shirt and sleep pants. Watching Naruto out of the corner of his vision, he noticed the boy's eyes widening when he peeled his shirt off. The boy had to have seen his old bite scar on his shoulder.

"Did it hurt?" his son whispered.

"Yes," Minato nodded slowly, rubbing at the old scar and remembering that awful night and the screams and the fear and all of that blood. "Yes, it did."

Naruto hesitated, like he was going to say more, then slunk away without another word.

Minato watched him go and then finished changing so that he could limp down to the kitchen.

_It's too late for coffee and alcohol is out of the question, but some calming tea would be fantastic._


	40. Full Moon

**Chapter 39**

_Full Moon_

Uchiha Mikoto shivered slightly as she made her way back home through the village's dark and deserted streets. It was very late, so late that it was technically the very early morning hours of the next day. She'd almost considered calling home and asking Itachi to bring her an overnight bag so that she could spend the night in Kushina's hotel room, but by the time she'd thought of that it was already so late that her elder son was probably asleep in his own bed. Unwilling to disturb him, she left the hotel as soon as she was certain that her old friend was asleep, and would stay that way until the sun rose.

Uzumaki Kushina had always been a passionate person, a loud person. Whenever she was angry about someone or at someone, she made sure that people knew about it. But no matter how fiery her rage, how deep her outrage, how greatly whatever it was had upset her, she was coherent and it was possible for a patient soul to weather her outbursts and talk her down into outward calmness.

This particular instance had been very different.

Kushina had been utterly irrational. She'd railed against Biyokuchi Kasshoku for reasons she'd never gotten around to properly explaining. The red-head had made accusations that he'd somehow managed to impersonate Minato all the way down to his smell (how she remembered how her old boyfriend had smelled and how Kushina had gotten close enough to smell him properly, Mikoto had no idea) in some bizarre plot to drive her insane. Despite the woman's clear physical exhaustion it had taken Mikoto hours and almost an entire bottle of plum wine to get Kushina to collapse into a fitful sleep. And even after all of that, Mikoto worried that when Kushina woke up again her old friend still wouldn't be properly defused and capable of controlled, rational thought and action.

_Could Minato's loss have scarred her so badly that her return to Konoha has broken something loose in her head?_

It seemed rather likely to Mikoto now. For all her friend's strength and fearlessness, there had to be a limit, and it appeared that the red-head had finally reached it. And with some of the odd threats that Kushina had hurled against her hated fellow Uzu-nin…

_"I'll rip off his tails—the bastard!"_

That specific threat (which Kushina had snarled innumerable times along with more "dattebanes" than she'd heard in years) had really concerned Mikoto.

_Men don't have tails,_ the Uchiha woman thought as she reached the boundary between her clan's land and the rest of the village. _Not human men, anyway—unless she was using slang. And Kasshoku is as human as Kushina is…_

Mikoto sighed as she walked the paved pathway towards her own front door.

_I need to check in with her later, hopefully before she pulls herself together enough to do something stupid._

She paused just short of her door and glanced over her shoulder to see the moon hanging near the horizon. It looked full, but it wasn't quite yet. The full moon was tomorrow night.

A chill that had nothing to do with the cool night air prickled down her spine and Mikoto hurried indoors.

* * *

Naruto snapped upright in his bed and gasped for breath, one hand clutching at his sweaty shirt. His blue eyes darted around the darkened room, searching for danger. When his brain woke up enough to recognize that he was safe and alone, he sighed and shuddered.

_Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream…_ The blond boy shivered again. _Well, nightmare, not dream. But anyway, I'm okay._

The longer he sat in his bedroom awake, the more distant his terror became. The red spinning eyes and sharp silver knives faded from a reality to a hazy shadow at the back of his mind. And once his feeling of relief peaked he realized how chilly his damp skin found the air to be.

He grimaced as he disentangled himself from his sheets and pulled his sticky clothing away from his body. After turning on the lamp so that he could see what he was doing, the boy did his best to fix his sheets and mattress before giving up the effort. Naruto padded through the dark hallway to the bathroom to answer nature's call, get a drink of water, and get a towel.

It never crossed his mind to seek comfort from an adult for the nightmare. When he'd been small he had always climbed into bed with his mother until he fell asleep again, calmed by her warmth and the soothing rhythm of her heartbeat. But that had been a very long time ago and he'd since learned to take care of himself as very few of his foster homes had been sympathetic to his occasional night terrors.

_I wonder what time it is?_ Naruto mused as he scrubbed his blond hair with the towel. _It's pretty dark, so it has to be late still… Or is it just really, really early?_

There weren't many clocks in the house. There was a clock mounted on the wall in the kitchen, and a digital alarm clock in the other bedroom. Going downstairs to check the time seemed like too much of a chore and peeking at the alarm clock would be tricky as—

"You're up early."

Naruto let out a strangled squeak and whirled around to confront the speaker.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" the boy snapped, waving the towel angrily at the adult.

The adult, his father, stood in the bathroom doorway, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. He didn't look entirely awake as he squinted against the bathroom lights. If Naruto's sneaking around hadn't awakened him, the glow spilling out of the open doorway had probably done it.

"I didn't mean to," the man shrugged.

Naruto fidgeted with the towel before hanging it up on a hook near the shower stall.

"…What time is it?"

"A little after five-thirty in the morning," the ANBU informed him and then yawned. "You have trouble sleeping?"

"It's no big deal," Naruto muttered, avoiding the adult's increasingly alert gaze.

"If you say so," was the dubious response. "Well, you might as well take your shower now. I'll see to breakfast."

"Okay," the boy agreed.

His father gave him a long look before slowly nodding and walking away. Naruto stayed still until he heard the faint creak of the stairs. When he was sure that he was alone, he closed the bathroom door, stripped off his damp pajamas, and turned on the water for his shower.

_Tonight's going to be the night._ Naruto swallowed and ducked under the hot water, groping around for the shampoo bottle. _I wonder if Mom will make it…_

_

* * *

_

Kushina braced her hands against the shower wall as steaming-hot water poured down her back. It was well past morning and just a few hours shy of noon, much later than she would've liked to be getting started with her day. If only she hadn't been so tired and if only Mikoto hadn't knocked her out with all that wine…

_Bleh, just got drunk enough for a little hangover._

She hadn't blacked out a moment of the night before, however. With almost perfect clarity she could recall her freak-out-slash-tantrum…and the event which had triggered the whole mess. And, really, she wished that she'd gotten drunk enough to have forgotten about the whole thing for at least a few hours…

_Of course, my headache would be a hell of a lot worse if that was the case. Then I would've puked at least once…maybe twice. And then after all that agony, I'd remember why…and feel even worse._

The water started to feel cool against her bare skin and Kushina fumbled with the knob to adjust the temperature.

If Mikoto hadn't restrained her with alcohol, Kushina probably would've stormed out of her hotel room moments after rolling out of bed. She wouldn't have wasted time bathing or changing her clothes and gone on the hunt for one Biyokuchi Kasshoku. When she found him she would've attacked him with everything that she had, up to and including going demonic on him, regardless of where she found him.

And it all would've been a terrible mistake.

When her hung-over self had stumbled into the shower several minutes earlier, it had slowly occurred to her that Kasshoku might not be responsible for the Minato she'd encountered the previous evening. She remembered how the house where Naruto was being kept always seemed to smell like her lost boyfriend, and her first visit had been before she'd revealed her presence to Kasshoku (not to mention that Kasshoku had no idea where Naruto's hiding place was). Therefore, the chances that Kasshoku had actually done what she'd suspected were now worse than remote.

_Maybe it was some Uchiha, then? Itachi, perhaps? I haven't seen that kid yet; he might've gone and followed his daddy's awful example…_

She bit her lip in thought and finally bothered to start washing her long, red hair.

_But even the best Sharingan-spawned genjutsu is limited by the caster's imagination. There's no way that any Uchiha would think to include smell into the illusion. None of them would have any idea how important that sense is to me…being that I'm a fox and all. As "civilized" as Kitsune are, we still pay more attention to scent than the average human does._

If it wasn't Kasshoku or some Uchiha, though, then…

_It can't…it can't really be him. Fully realized werewolves can never turn back. Everybody agrees on that. All the old stories about Madara being able to switch between man and wolf-monster at will are totally bogus. "Mangetsu" can't be Minato because he was in the shape of the man, able to speak like a man._

Kushina methodically lathered up her lengthy locks with shampoo and then carefully rinsed the foam off. Satisfied that she had gotten all the shampoo out, she rubbed in the conditioner (with such long hair she needed it to be able to get a brush through her tresses without destroying them). As she started her second rinse cycle, she made a decision.

_I need to talk to the Hokage and find out just who Mangetsu is._

She probably also apologize to the old man for trashing that training ground…again…but that was one of the last things on her mind.

* * *

Naruto finished his lunch and leaned back in his chair to glance towards his ANBU guardian (and father). The adult had spent most of the morning whispering into his radio, putting together supplies for the coming night, and receiving things from various other ANBU that had stopped by. Naruto had just stayed out of the way and watched from the living room couch.

But now it was the afternoon and if they were going to make it to the place that Mangetsu had mentioned the day before they would probably have to leave soon.

"So are we going to sneak out now?"

"If you're all done eating…" When Naruto nodded, he continued. "Alright, then."

The ANBU-nin put all the used dishes in the sink for later washing and then briefly left the kitchen. He returned with a pack on his back, a bag for Naruto, and a pair of sandals. Naruto had already gotten some new clothes (not pajamas, real clothes—khaki pants and a black T-shirt) so all he needed for a walk in the woods were shoes. The genin hurriedly pulled on the sandals and pack and waited for further instructions.

"Now," the ANBU settled his wolf mask over his face and reached over to grip the boy's shoulder, "hang on."

"Wha—"

There was a dizzying rush of disorientation, a sharp tug, Naruto blinked, and he quite abruptly found that they were outdoors instead of indoors.

"—t?" The boy wobbled for a moment. "Gah! What the—how did—ah!"

"I figured that it would be too difficult to slip through the village walls unseen since you haven't really exercised lately, so I used my _hiraishin_ to make a little shortcut," his father cheerfully explained.

"So…are we there, already?" Naruto asked, still reeling a bit from the unexpected translocation.

"No, I brought us just out of sight of the village walls," Mangetsu answered. "The hike to the outpost should be a nice easy warm up for you before the moon rises."

"Okay…" Naruto followed the ANBU as he turned and started trekking deeper into the forest. "…Could you have brought us right there?"

"Yes," the man nodded. "If I've left a special seal marker somewhere, I can go there, no matter how far away it is."

"Wow…" _I could use that to set off fireworks all over the village and no one would be able to pin it on me!_ "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Sure," the ANBU agreed, "when you become a jounin."

"What?" Naruto squawked, nearly tripping on a fallen branch. "Why?"

"It's a very complex technique that involves advanced seal work and bending space and time," the senior ninja explained. "And it has the potential to be very dangerous. I'd like for you to be more experienced and mature before I even try to teach it to you."

"Okay," the boy huffed, very disappointed.

"There are plenty of other things for you to learn between now and then," was the cheery response. "And the next few weeks we'll see how many of these other things I can squeeze in before the final trial."

* * *

"What do you mean 'he's busy'?"

The chuunin-level secretary in charge of managing the Hokage's schedule and giving unscheduled visitors permission to visit the village leader quailed under Kushina's ugly glare, but didn't break.

"Hokage-sama is booked solid with meetings today," the male secretary repeated. "He's too busy to see unscheduled petitioners. Perhaps…if you came back before the office closes at six-thirty—"

"That's too late!" Kushina snapped. "I just have one little question for him, it'll take five minutes—_less_—for him to answer it."

"I'm sorry," the chuunin said. "The scheduling is just too tight. Hokage-sama needs to get status reports on the demon collection for the final trial. And he also needs to prepare for Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Tekka's formal judgment. If he's not expecting to see you, I can't work you in."

"I don't suppose I can bribe you?" Kushina growled, feeling intensely frustrated.

"No," the secretary almost snorted.

"What if I hit you over the head?" she suggested darkly.

"That would get you ejected from the Tower," the chuunin informed her.

"Well—"

"Uzumaki Kushina?"

The red-head scowled and glanced over her shoulder to find an ANBU-nin. He was clearly a different one from the night before. This ANBU had dark hair, a different mask, and a wholly unfamiliar voice and scent.

"Yes?" she replied warily.

"Mangetsu asked me to escort you to the meeting place…if you're still interested," the stranger told her.

"…Would I have to follow you now?"

"If you'd like to make it there before sunset, yes."

Kushina grimaced. If she passed on his offer and waited to possibly get a moment to speak with the Hokage about Mangetsu's true identity, she would miss spending time with Naruto. If she went with him, she'd miss getting to talk to the Hokage for sure…but she would also get a second look at Mangetsu in the flesh.

"…Alright," Kushina muttered, turning away from the secretary to face the ANBU. "Let me get my bag and we'll go."

* * *

Ino pouted as she, Chouji, and Shikamaru walked home from practice. Even though they didn't live particularly close to each other, they'd stick together on the way home from the training grounds, slowly breaking apart when they reached their own neighborhoods. It was something they'd always done, from their first days in the Academy on.

_Some adults suck at keeping promises,_ the blonde girl fumed as she walked between Shikamaru and Chouji.

The previous evening the woman who was supposed to be Naruto's mother had promised to come find her (and/or Sakura, and Sasuke) and find out what they knew about Naruto—mainly, that he'd freaked out on Hinata and needed her—so that she could take care of him…and she had failed to show up.

_Really, what's more important? Some meeting that she had to get to, or her kid?_

"Is something wrong, Ino?" Chouji asked between mouthfuls of potato chips.

"It's a long story," Ino muttered as she struggled to find a starting point so that the two boys could properly appreciate her irritation.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru grunted.

"I hate it when you say that damn word, you lazy-ass!" Ino snapped. "Is there anything that you _don't_ find 'troublesome'?"

"Cloud-watching," the Nara boy replied.

"Of course," the Yamanaka girl groaned. "The laziest activity ever. It's so lazy, it probably doesn't even count as an activity!"

"He could've said that he finds napping the least troublesome," Chouji happily pointed out.

Ino made a growling sound in the back of her throat and tossed her head to move the long bangs from her eyes. But then her irritation faded a bit as an idea came to her. For a moment she was tempted to grin evilly, but she restrained herself so that Chouji and—more importantly—Shikamaru didn't catch on.

"Well, you don't find puzzles all that troublesome, right?"

"Puzzles are very troublesome," Shikamaru countered. "They make me think until I solve them."

"Too bad for you, then," Ino smirked. "I've got a real puzzle for you!"

"I'm not listening," Shikamaru muttered and tried to peel off their route early, but she easily caught his arm and prevented his flight.

"The puzzle is…Naruto," Ino said.

Shikamaru stopped and gave her an odd look.

"The ramen ingredient or the kid from our class?"

"Our old classmate, idiot!" the blonde girl snapped impatiently. "How is a ramen ingredient a puzzle?"

"It could've been part of a riddle," the Nara boy shrugged.

"Whatever," Ino snorted. "The puzzle is Naruto, the kid with no family name. I'm going to tell you a bunch of interesting but confusing facts about him, and you're going to make it make sense for me!"

Shikamaru's usual bored expression turned a bit pinched as if her words were causing him some physical pain.

"So very troublesome…"

* * *

Naruto hiked his pack up on his back and squinted into the fading light as he did his best to follow his ANBU guide. His legs were feeling a bit tired as he'd exerted himself more than he had since his…injury, but he felt fine otherwise. It had helped that they'd stopped an hour or so ago to have a cold dinner that had been among the supplies packed in the backpacks.

What really bothered him about the hike was the quiet.

Mangetsu didn't seem to mind the lack of conversation, but Naruto felt the need to say something every now and then to break up the silence. There had been a little talk about training but that had dried up pretty quickly. Now the boy was wracking his brains to come up with something he felt comfortable talking to the man—his father—about.

He wasn't really getting anywhere.

_What sorts of things do you talk about with someone you don't really like?_

He thought about discussing favorite foods, ramen (that was a category all its own), favorite colors, favorite movies, or favorite music, but those things seemed like topics for going on a date with a girl…or something. He considered asking for stories about life before he was born but he didn't want to take away stories that his mother wanted to share with him. And now he was grasping at mental straws for anything else…

"Hey, when I fought with Kiba he did this thing that sort of looked werewolf-y. Do you know if that nasty black stuff he coughed up did that to him?"

"No," Mangetsu replied as he forged on towards the distant outpost. "That was an Inuzuka clan technique, and it's usually paired with the partner canine transforming into a clone of the human with the same feral features."

"Oh." Naruto frowned thoughtfully at the leaf-covered ground for a moment. "So…they came up with that from…watching werewolves?"

"No, and never suggest anything like there where an Inuzuka can hear you."

Naruto tilted his head and asked, "Why not?"

"Because that will inspire the Inuzuka to punch you in the face," the ANBU explained. "The Inuzuka clan and most of their techniques predate the arrival of the lycanthropy curse in these lands by centuries. They find it highly insulting to have their clan techniques compared in any way to werewolves, and regrettably many foreign ninja make that mistake."

"Okay," Naruto nodded. _Well, there goes my plan to counter Kiba's "kitty-boy" with "werewolf-wannabe"…_

"I forgot," the man remarked quietly, "that you haven't been in Konoha all that long."

The boy fidgeted with a leaf that he'd plucked off a bush. Mangetsu sounded sort of sad and it made him feel uncomfortable and awkward. Or maybe it was the impeding moonrise that was making his skin feel itchy.

It was probably the moon.

"Ah, we're here."

Naruto flinched and almost tripped into the ANBU-nin's back. Peering around the man, he could just make out a low-slung concrete bunker that was almost lost in the surrounding trees. It was getting harder to see by the minute and the patches of sky visible through the forest canopy had changed from the fiery colors of sunset to the purplish-indigo of twilight. So it wouldn't be long…

Mangetsu left him waiting outside of the bunker while he ducked inside to talk to whatever ANBU were present. Several long minutes later he came back out and guided Naruto along a different forest trail. The path seemed to dead-end in a clearing and it seemed to satisfy the ANBU.

"Okay, pick your bush and let's get this over with," the man instructed, veering off to the left to strip and transform in private.

Shrugging his pack off and leaving it dangling from one hand, Naruto wandered to the right until he found a sheltered spot formed by a clump of bushes wrapped around the base of a large tree. In the privacy of the greenery, he shucked off his clothes and shoes and shoved them into his bag. He winced a bit when he yanked off the bits of gauze still taped over his old injuries. It was very much like every other full moon in recent memory.

And yet it was going to be completely different.

Too impatient to wait for the moon to rise into view, Naruto triggered the change voluntarily. It took a bit more time and effort than he was used to, but only a little bit. And then he was fully furry and foxy and he felt fine. Grabbing his bag, he slunk out of the bushes and into the clearing where he flopped down onto the grass.

_"(Okay, I'm done!)"_

He fidgeted with the tip of his bushy fox tail as he waited for the werewolf…his father…to join him. The fox-boy wondered what he was going to look like. The only werewolf he'd seen in the flesh before had been Ookami-jiji and that poor creature had been skinny and sickly—

A clump of hedges several yards away rustled and a shape emerged from them. The werewolf stood tall on his hind legs like a man instead of skulking around on all-fours like a beast. His fur was golden yellow that shifted to white on his chest, stomach, throat, and the ends of his extremities, and his eyes were the same bright clear blue. This werewolf was the polar opposite of Ookami-jiji.

He ambled over and dumped his own bag beside Naruto's.

_"(The stars are barely out,)"_ the werewolf rumbled, Naruto's mind automatically translating the animal sounds into his father's voice, only a bit growly-er. _"(You're a bit early.)"_

_"(So wha—)"_

Naruto inhaled sharply and his fur bristled along his spine. The yellow fox leaned forward to sniff at the werewolf's hand. And then Naruto went so far as to smoosh his wet black nose into the fur on his arm to get and even better smell.

He knew that scent.

His father smelled far more wolfish in this shape, and that brought into focus why he found his scent so familiar before. It was free of dirt and sickness, but everything else was the same. He'd smelled it every full moon since he'd stumbled over that cave mere months after arriving in Konohagakure no Sato.

_"(O…Ookami-jiji?)"_


	41. Fox VS Wolf

**Chapter 40**

_Fox VS Wolf_

Kushina struggled to remain patient as her ANBU guide—Crane—was inside the bunker-like outpost talking to whoever was inside to pinpoint Mangetsu's (and therefore Naruto's) location. The sun had set and the stars were coming out, but the moon hadn't risen yet so she wasn't unforgivably late yet. However, she was still a lot later in meeting up with her son than she wanted to be.

She'd only intended to grab her bag before leaving the village so that she had something to put her clothes in when she took animal form to keep Naruto company during his night of weakness. But on her way out of the village with Crane, Mikoto had found her and insisted on talking with her. Kushina reluctantly put off her departure to assure her friend that she wasn't about to go off the handle and do something stupid and that she was quite rational now.

And then Mikoto's disowned child, Sasuke, showed up.

Apparently Mikoto hadn't really seen him since the clan elders had shown him the door so there was a good amount of hugging and a few tears. Kushina almost slipped away then, but she remembered that Sasuke had been one of the kids who'd wanted to talk to her the day before so she waited for things to settle down. When things were calmer, Sasuke started talking.

She didn't like anything that he had to say to her. She'd known that something was up with Naruto yesterday, but what she had seen was nothing compared to what he'd apparently done earlier in the day. The reason that she'd found him with a fox tail and ears that afternoon was because a few hours earlier he'd been skirting the edges of the feral berserker state, not out of rage but out of stress and perhaps fear, and he'd terrorized some girl named Hinata in a desperate search for his mother. Sasuke told her pretty much everything that Naruto hadn't…except for why.

Determined to find her son and drag answers out of him before the moon stole his voice for the night, Kushina excused herself while Mikoto puzzled over Naruto's "werefox" nature with Sasuke. But before she could leave the village, Crane, who'd stuck to the shadows ever since Mikoto popped up, warned her that she was being followed. Biyokuchi Kasshoku was tailing her, and before she could go to Naruto, she had to lose him.

It took almost two hours to shake the brown fox. Kushina had almost been ready to turn around, chase the jerk down, and confront him. She did finally manage to shake him, though, but had only made her even later in leaving.

To try and make up time, Crane had set a stiff pace to the distant outpost (leaving little breath for talking or asking questions), yet the sun had still set without Kushina reaching her son.

_I hope that Naruto doesn't decide to go off early. He and I need to have some words. I need to find out what set him off and remind him that it is not acceptable to terrorize little girls._

The door to the bunker opened, spilling light out into the forming night, and Crane exited.

"I've got their location," he said. "We aren't too far behind them."

"Great, lead the way."

Crane started down a faint path that branched out to the east and she followed after him. As she walked, she took the barrette from her hair, the hitai-ate from her forehead, the crystal from around her neck, and shoved them into a side pocket on her bag. When she reached Naruto's location, she'd kick off her sandals and strip off her clothes to make the change. She'd left her chainmail shirt that she normally wore underneath her top off so that she would have fewer layers to shed tonight.

The trail curved and started to widen—

A wolfish scent filled her nose, tainted with a faint hint of something close to human—the hallmark of a werewolf. She half-ran and got ahead of Crane, only to skid to a stop a handful of yards short of a clearing. And there she saw a monster looming over her son.

The ANBU might've whispered something to her, but she couldn't hear him. Every fiber of her being was focused on what she had to do. She didn't waste time yanking off her clothing, she just set it on fire as she transformed.

And even before she was completely done with the shift, she was racing to protect her baby…and kill what threatened him.

* * *

Naruto really only bore a passing resemblance to a werewolf, Minato noted as he looked the transformed boy over. The markings on his pelt, vulpine eyes, and his bushy tail were the most obvious deviation. But to his experienced eye, which had seen dozens of other werewolves, even a few child wolves, there were plenty of other differences. His general build was more slender, his muzzle was shorter and narrower, the whiskers on his lips were a tad thicker and longer, his canines and claws were slightly smaller, and his ears were a touch bigger than they ought to be, even for a half-grown child. And there were little black stripes on his furry cheeks just like when he was human—a trait belonging to neither for nor wolf, and a sign of his hybrid nature.

It was nice to finally get a clear look at him. The first time he'd met the little fox creature his eyesight had already been failing from his chronic low-level silver poisoning. And even if his eyes had been perfect those two years ago, he wouldn't have labeled the child as a werewolf.

But his mind wasn't so much on Naruto's unique features as what the boy had said.

_"(Ookami…__**jiji**__?)"_ he repeated slowly. _"(I'm sure that I looked awful with how sick I was…but did I really look old enough to be called 'jiji'?)"_

_ "(But…)"_ Naruto squeaked feebly, gaping up at him. _"(But…you died.)"_

_ "(I came close to death, true,)"_ Minato nodded. _"(However, Hokage-sama was kind enough to give me the medical treatment that I needed even though he wasn't sure of my identity when I was first found.)"_

The little yellow fox whined and tugged on his black ears.

_"(But…but Hokage-sama didn't tell me that he had you! And-and why didn't __**you**__ say anything?)"_

_ "(My presence in Konoha is highly classified…and I'm sure that Hokage-sama wanted to teach you a lesson about not informing him when you found a potentially dangerous creature camped just outside the village.)"_

Minato took a moment to gather his thoughts before tackling the second question.

_"(As for why I didn't say anything… When I first met you, I honestly wasn't sure what you were, let alone who you were. I very much enjoyed your company and I was afraid if I tried to say something, you wouldn't understand and be frightened off._

_ "(And later…I wanted to get a better idea of who you were as a person. I knew that you didn't like me and I figured you'd feel betrayed if I introduced myself as your old tame werewolf friend first and then you learned that I was your father. I had planned on giving you hints tonight, and telling you directly, that we'd met long before. But you've gone and figured it out on your own.)"_

Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape. And then he slumped, almost folding in on himself as he hugged his fluffy tail to his chest like it was a plush toy. He looked so small and lost and young…

Minato hesitantly reached out to rub his son's head—

The crackle-hiss-snarl of flames caught his ears' attention and he smelled a hint of smoke and burned cloth—

He jerked his body back just in time to avoid the snap of carnivorous jaws going for this throat, although he did lose a tiny tuft of white fur. But there was no time to dwell on it. The owner of the toothy maw was still attacking.

Startled by the attack (he'd been so focused on Naruto, and the ANBU at the bunker had claimed that the area was thoroughly cleared of anything dangerous that was larger than a cat, so he hadn't been keeping an ear out for any threats) all he could do was backpedal, desperately. For every stumble backwards it leapt forward with flashing teeth and flickering blue flames leaping from its fur. It was too close, moving too quickly, with too little light for him to see it clearly…but his nose was full of the scent of fire, smoke, chakra, and fox.

_Kitsune._

Something fast-moving lashed out at him like a striking cobra and it managed to graze his shoulder, tearing loose more of his fur and drawing a little blood.

_**Enemy**__ Kitsune._

His back brushed against a tree trunk and he dodged around behind it for a bit of cover.

The Kitsune hesitated to follow him. Peeking around the other side of the tree through the cover of some brush he saw the human-sized fox crouched a yard or two away, bristling and snarling. It was a deep shade of red with blazing red eyes and five separate tails lashing in irritation. The vulpine demon glanced over its shoulder…

…at a cowering Naruto, who was clear across the small meadow, and defenseless.

_**No!**_

Peeling back his lips from his black gums, he snarled, exploded from the bushes, and tackled the growling gobi, tangling with it in a fury of fur, teeth, and claws.

_You won't harm my son!_

_

* * *

_

Naruto crouched frozen by the two backpacks, paralyzed by horror. A mysterious Kitsune had darted in from nowhere in a blaze of blue fire and had done its best to rip his werewolf father to pieces. His father hadn't held still, though, and now he was on the attack, locked in a vicious struggle with the fox demon.

_What's going on?_ The fox flattened his ears to his skull and laid prone behind the flimsy shield of bags. _Where did it come from? Who is it?_

It surely wasn't his mother. His mother only had three tails to her name. Although…she had sworn to him that her tails were getting itchy, and that meant that her fourth tail was bound to grow in soon. …Could she have gotten up to _five_ while he was away?

"Well, this sure went to hell."

Naruto snapped his head around to see an ANBU lurked at the edge of the clearing where the trail dead-ended. His mask was bird-ish with inky black markings that suggested a few falling feathers. The fox-boy had seen him once or twice before, but the codename eluded him.

"'Wait a minute,' I told her," the ANBU sighed quietly. "'That's just Mangetsu,' I said. 'Relax, he's a nice guy,' I say to her. But does she listen to me? No, no she doesn't." He shook his head in disgust. "Why the heck did Mangetsu want her here if they were just going to fight like this?"

_Wait a minute!_ Naruto whipped his head back to the snarling furry brawl. _That's Mom?_

He lifted his head and sniffed at the air to see if he could get a good whiff of the Kitsune's smell.

_That…that __**is**__ Mom!_

The brawling beasts tore at each other like wild animals instead of intelligent beings. They were so entangled and moving so quickly it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. But then the werewolf got a bit of an upper hand. He pinned to the ground and straddled her back with one leg stretched back to hold down a few of her tails while he tried to bite the back of her neck and sever her spine, meanwhile her free tails stabbed at his back with tips hardened into sharp spear points.

_They're killing each other!_

"They're too close together," the ANBU muttered. "I don't have any good way to separate them… I really wish I knew what this fight was about."

The two combatants snarled and made all sorts of awful sounds as they struggled in the dirt. His mother's eyes burned a furious red as her tails flailed and blindly stabbed. His father's teeth tore at her fluffy scruff while his one free arm slapped at her attacking appendages.

Naruto's heart raced and his stomach clenched, and then he hopped to his feet and flapped his arms at the ugly fight.

_"(Stop! Stop it!)"_ he wailed. _"(That's Mom! Stop biting her! Dad stop!)"_

At first his shouts seemed to have no effect, but then the werewolf paused and removed his jaws from the large fox's neck.

_"(What?)"_ Still keeping her pinned, he pressed his nose into her fur and inhaled. _"(…Kushina? You smell different. Like a—)"_

One of her five tails slapped him upside the head hard enough to stun him so that his grip loosened and she clawed her way free. As soon as she was on her feet again she whirled around and snapped at his ear, missing it by fractions of an inch. And when he tried to retreat from her, tail tucked between his legs in submission, she just chased him down with an awful roar no human or mundane fox could produce.

_Now that I got him stopped, how am I going to stop Mom?_

_

* * *

_

Minato hated it when his wolfish instincts got the better of him. With the full moon rising, those instincts were stronger, closer to the surface. So when he felt that Naruto was under threat, he hadn't reacted as a ninja and made smart moves like opening up the range to use destructive jutsu to end the fight quickly and decisively. No, instead he'd charged in like a wild animal for an up-close-and-personal physical brawl with fangs and claws.

He also hadn't given any thought to try and determine who was trying to attack them. There really hadn't been much time to, with her fast and relentless assault. He certainly hadn't imagined that it was Kushina. Even though he knew that she was a Kitsune, he'd never seen her beast form before, or smelled any hint of fox on her. So not recognizing Kushina when she appeared in a blaze of blue fire and tried to rip out his throat was a perfectly understandable mistake, he thought.

However, she didn't seem to agree with that.

_"(Kushina!)"_ he yelped as she latched onto his wrist with her sharp teeth. _"(Ow! Stop! I'm sorry!)"_

She gave no sign that she had heard him. Her tail tips had gone from sharp spears to curved hooks that tried to get some purchase in his fur and hinder his range of motion. Minato reluctantly slapped her head to force her to let go and then used his _hiraishin_ to warp out of her deadly reach and up into the branches of the tree that he'd used as cover for his transformation minutes earlier.

While she snarled and looked around frantically for him, he took stock of his injuries. They weren't as bad as they could've been. His thick pelt of fur had acted like padding, making it difficult for her teeth and tail-formed weapons to penetrate down to his skin. But she had scored several lacerations and small punctures that streaked his golden yellow fur with blood, and she'd torn out dozens of chunks of fur with her jaws.

She probably had the same sorts of injuries (and fur-loss), but with her red fur it was a bit harder to see the blood.

Minato sighed and dropped down from the tree and tried to reason with her again now that there was some space between them.

_"(Kushina, that's enough. Calm down and we'll talk—)"_

_ "(It's no use,)"_ Naruto interrupted from his spot back by the bags. _"(She won't understand. All she hears is animal noise, not words.)"_

_ "(Really?)"_ Minato frowned. _That's…very unfortunate._

His attempts at communication only caught her attention and she spun around to charge him again with another inhuman, un-fox-like roar. She dashed at him in an arc so that she could get between him and Naruto before she was on him again. Minato didn't wait around for her to tackle him again so he bolted left, back into the middle of the small meadow to try and keep clear of Naruto's position so the boy would stay safe.

He was really getting a good appreciation for why the Kitsune species had been rated between A and S-rank. It was very hard to keep track of five (in this case) lashing tails, which had no trouble moving independently of each other and were ridiculously flexible, as well as the end that had sharp, snapping teeth. If the area had been thoroughly seeded with _hiraishin_ seals like he'd planned on before the attempt on Naruto's life, he would've had the advantage. But, as he wasn't out to kill or maim Kushina, his options were extremely limited to the point where he felt that he was the underdog in this fight.

Her wild tail strikes hissed through the air, and the low blows tore up the ground. Then she'd suddenly lunge forward with bared teeth to try and land a bite while he was busy avoiding getting skewered. She was so wound up that her tongue was lolling out of the side of her mouth and she was started to foam around her lips. Her pupils were dilated down to narrow slits that were all but lost in the malevolent glow of her red eyes.

Those eyes made him think of Naruto and how he'd looked when he'd been upset and grappling with the unhappy realization that the father he despised had been close by for days. Red eyes seemed to be a strong indication of a heightened and decidedly negative emotional state. Or…maybe her eyes just happened to be red in beast form, he didn't know.

As he leapt aside from another of her wild lunges, he was struck by a sort of pattern to her movements. She attacked him with an almost insane level of aggression, but she always was trying to drive him away from Naruto's position. Since he hadn't recognized her, it was likely that she hadn't recognized him and (like him) had assumed he was out to get Naruto and was defending him accordingly. And with the full moon in the sky, he couldn't just change back into a man and correct her assumption.

_This is really ridiculous,_ he thought as he rolled out of the way of her very unfriendly pounce after she'd tripped him with two of her tails. _This needs to stop now. I can't wait for her to get tired. She's barely used any chakra so far so she could last for hours._

Making up his mind, Minato raced away from Kushina, then stopped and tried to present her with his most dominant posture. He fluffed up his fur, stood upright, kept his tail raised high, held out his arms, pricked forward his ears, and did whatever he could to make himself look as large as possible. And to top it off, he let out his own roar—a sound that was closer to the bellow of a bear or a lion than the bark of a wolf.

_Hopefully this will intimidate her into stopping her attack. Then I should be able to demonstrate to her one of my signature techniques—the _rasengan_ would probably be best. And that ought to get her thinking of my identity…_

_ If that doesn't work, I think I'll have to go hide in the woods for an hour or two until she calms down and is ready to deal with me more rationally._

She stopped short of tackling him yet again…and belched a jet of blue flame like she was a small, furry dragon.

Minato was forced to use _hiraishin_ again; warping to a temporary spot he'd set by slapping a seal onto a large rock near the heart of the small meadow. Even though the flames hadn't touched him, the fur on his chest and face felt singed. And the glare from the bright fire left splotches dancing through his vision.

_Crap!_ He rubbed at his eyes and tried to channel chakra to them so that they'd recover as quickly as possible. _I'll have to retreat, then, and wait for her to relax._

He started to turn to inform Naruto of his plan—

His warp hadn't taken him to a spot directly behind her so Kushina quickly spied him and sprinted towards him to renew her mad attack—

There was a whistling shriek, like a bottle rocket, followed by a _crack-pop_ and a flash that went off mere inches from Kushina's nose, and she braked so hard that she was practically sitting. The flash further blinded Minato and he blinked furiously, trying to get rid of the pulsing blobs of color that made it hard to see. But his nose wasn't crippled in the least, and he smelled…

_Naruto?_

_

* * *

_

Naruto fidgeted as he watched the two bestial adults continue to fight. The werewolf wasn't trying to hurt the fox anymore, but she didn't seem to notice. His mother was intent on tearing his father's head off no matter how long it took.

"The old texts said that Kitsune were fairly genjutsu-resistant, but this is insane," the masked ANBU-nin quietly complained from his safe spot just inside the tree line. "It's like she isn't even aware of it! I wish I knew more single-target illusions…"

_"(Why don't you actually go and do something!)"_ Naruto snarled at him.

The ANBU couldn't understand him, but the man seemed to be able to guess what he'd said.

"I'm not about to get in the middle of that," he replied, keeping his voice low. "I don't want to worry about which one might have bitten me. Mangetsu's a good guy, but accidents happen, especially in a fight like this. And he's still holding his own well enough. We're not in a populated area; there aren't civilians' safeties to worry about. I don't need to get involved."

His voice dropped lower, like he was muttering to himself, but Naruto's sharp ears still heard him.

"And today's supposed to be my day off, damn it. This was _not_ a part of the deal. All Mangetsu asked for was for me to bring her here before nightfall. If he was expecting a fight, he should've told me so…and that would've cost him more than a free dinner!"

Naruto swallowed and turned his focus back to the fight. The werewolf tried to break off the fight away, running and then turning to put on an intimidating display, complete with a loud and scary roar. The Kitsune wasn't fazed and she retaliated with a blast of blue fire.

_Whoa!_

The werewolf reappeared several yards to the Kitsune's left. He looked unharmed, but with how he was blinking and rubbing at his eyes it was clear that the sudden bright light from the fire had impaired his vision. But the large fox spied him and charged in for the kill before he could recover.

Naruto did what he did best: acted without thinking.

He gathered blue fire to his right hand and moved like he was hurling a kunai. A little ball of blue fire streaked off with a shriek. He'd intended for it to whiz past his mother's nose, but it actually exploded in front of her nose. It stopped her, though.

And then he made a mad dash across the clearing to put himself between the two feuding creatures. Standing in front of the werewolf, he faced his mother and struggled not to wilt under her piercing red eyes. He held up a black, trembling, paw-like hand palm-out in the "stop" gesture.

_"(Mommy, stop it right now! You'll be really sad if you rip his head off, I swear!)"_

_

* * *

_

Her entire being was focused on saving her child and destroying the monster that threatened him. At first she had been willing to let it go if it ran and didn't come back. But then it had attacked her and she knew that she could show it no mercy.

It was a slippery and persistent foe, but she wouldn't let up. She had been apart from her son for far too long. Nothing was going to take him away from her ever again.

Nothing.

But then a flash of _kitsune-bi_ halted her in her tracks. She recognized the attack of one of her own kind. Her senses sharpened as she sought this new enemy…

And then her son appeared and placed himself directly in front of the wolf monster, held out his hand to halt her, and yapped at her like he was trying to speak.

Panic gripped her heart and she tried to use two of her tails to grab Naruto and move him away from the danger…but he ducked away from the grasping tail-claws and stood firm, well within the grasp of the werewolf. Adrenalin sung in her veins and a red haze clung to her vision. She wanted to attack the danger—she _needed_ to—but she couldn't.

Naruto was in the way.

"Naruto!" she snarled, forcing her mouth to work. "Move!"

He looked nervous, but he slowly and deliberately shook his head and remained where he was.

Confusion muddled her thoughts. Why wouldn't he listen to her? Didn't he know that thing was dangerous? Why was he defending it from her? Hadn't he seen how aggressive it was? Why hadn't the werewolf snatched her son and carried him off for dinner now that he was standing so close to it?

"Why…?" she mumbled, wobbling a bit on her paws, her muscles so tense that they ached.

Her child hesitated, then slowly backed up, moving closer to the werewolf. When he was standing right beside it, he leaned over and licked at the towering creature's bleeding wrist. And then he patted the beast's larger white hand with his little black one, as if to prove that he was good and friendly.

The whole time the golden-furred wolf didn't so much as twitch, let alone make any sort of threatening move towards her or her child.

Kushina sat back on her haunches and slowly lowered her tails into a more neutral position.

"Okay, I'm confused…"

"Will you listen to me now?" Crane asked from the edge of the clearing, her bag in his hand.

"You said something?" Kushina mumbled. _When…did my bag get scorched like that?_

"I was telling you that that was Mangetsu and to not worry about him," Crane tartly informed her. "But you just wanted to bite his head off…literally. I thought you met him yesterday."

"I…" Her thoughts slogged through her rising confusion and the waning red mists of berserk rage. "But…he was a man!"

"He's a werewolf," the ANBU told her. "And tonight's the full moon, if you hadn't noticed. Didn't you talk to him at all yesterday?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times before hanging her head.

"Um…no."

Crane made an irritated sound in the back of his throat and dragged her bag over to where two others lay on the grass.

Kushina blinked and turned back to her son and the werewolf, Mangetsu. Seeing that her attention had returned, the werewolf very slowly raised his right hand-like paw so that the palm was facing skyward. And then, slowly and clearly, began gathering and molding chakra.

There were a few threads at first. Then more and more of them swirled out of his hand. They spun into a tight tangle, a dense sphere about the size of a softball. The highly compacted turbulent storm of magical energy made a sound somewhere between a loud hum and a faint howl. And he did it all without a single hand seal to shape it.

He held it there for a minute, and then allowed it to dissipate once he was certain that she recognized it.

She stared into his blue, blue eyes, stupefied, as a deep sense of shock oozed through her veins that had burned hot with adrenalin moments before.

And then a word tumbled out of her mouth.

"…Oops."

Namikaze Minato clapped a hand-paw to his forehead and sighed deeply.


	42. Tumultuous Tuesday

**Chapter 41**

_Tumultuous Tuesday_

Mikoto frowned slightly as she forged her way towards the hotel where Kushina was staying shortly after breakfast. Despite the red-head's promises the day before that everything was fine, Mikoto really didn't believe her. And she had a lot of other questions to ask her.

Uzumaki Naruto couldn't be a werewolf. Perhaps he'd only inherited part of the curse from his father, which had been why he'd reacted to the silver test that Fugaku had forced on him. But werewolves didn't look the least bit like a fox, or sprout tails without the full moon as the catalyst.

_Kushina wasn't shocked when she heard about his transformation from Sasuke. She was far more concerned with the cause of his emotional distress and that he'd scared an old classmate. There's more to her son than she's letting on…_

Thinking about her son's mysterious teammate eventually led her to think of other things. Perhaps Naruto's very unusual traits had something to do with his mother's side of the family. She thought about Kushina's odd and erratic behavior in the previous days, and how mysterious her home village—Uzushiogakure no Sato—was, despite being an ancient ally of Konoha's.

Firmly shoving aside vague suspicions and barely-formed theories, Mikoto slipped through the hotel lobby and up the stairs to the second floor where Kushina's room was—

"What the hell happened to you?" Mikoto demanded.

Some amazing quirk of timing had allowed Mikoto to stumble upon Kushina apparently returning to her room…in clothes that didn't look like hers. She was dressed in some loose gray pants and a cheap black T-shirt. But what was really alarming was that her shoes and backpack looked a bit…crispy…like she'd run through a bonfire.

"Were you out all night?" the Uchiha frowned, noting her friend's messy hair and some faint dark circles under her eyes.

Kushina jumped guiltily, almost dropping her room key, and she fidgeted with her crystal necklace while grinning a bit too broadly.

"Mikoto, hey! You're up early…"

"Not really," Mikoto replied, folding her arms over her chest. "What happened?"

"Well…um…I jumped to some conclusions and got into a fight and…ruined my clothes, but it was just a crazy misunderstanding!" Kushina explained brightly, tangling her necklace between her fingers. "It's all sorted out now, though. It won't happen again."

"You got into a fight that ruined your clothes?" Mikoto gasped.

"It really wasn't that bad!" Kushina protested. "I didn't have to go to the hospital or anything, see?"

The red-haired woman showed off a handful of bruises and stretches of red, irritated skin, but otherwise she was completely unharmed as she claimed to be.

"So…what was the misunderstanding?" Mikoto asked warily.

"It's…complicated," Kushina muttered evasively. "And involves ANBU, and probably some village secrets…"

"Right…" Mikoto nodded dubiously.

"Yeah, well, I need to go shower and get some real clothes and maybe take a nap at some point, so I'll see you tomorrow?"

Before the Uchiha could respond, the Uzumaki unlocked her hotel room door, ducked inside, and shut the door again, leaving Mikoto alone in the hallway.

"…Tomorrow?" Mikoto repeated blankly. "Why not today?"

_"I'm busy today!"_ Kushina called through the closed door.

"I'll…see you tomorrow then," Mikoto sighed. "At lunch."

_"Deal!"_

Shortly afterwards, Mikoto could hear the faint sounds of the shower running, and the dark-haired woman turned and walked away.

_I should probably make a list of questions for her to answer tomorrow so I don't have to worry about forgetting anything…_

* * *

Minato sagged against his kitchen counter under the oppressive weight of his fatigue. The full moon was always a bit draining, whether he changed or not, but the added stress of the fight against Kushina and healing the fresh wounds that she'd dealt him left him even more tired than usual. Only sheer force of will and the caffeine from his coffee was keeping him conscious at the moment.

The coffee maker that he'd acquired for his kitchen was a very fancy model. It had a built-in clock and a timer that allowed for it to be set to go off in the morning and start brewing coffee automatically. Before leaving for the outpost he'd loaded it with coffee grounds, and when he and Naruto returned shortly after sunrise there was a hot pot of coffee waiting for him.

That coffee had kept him awake enough to cook breakfast. A good breakfast was essential after a full moon night of forced transformation and insomnia, and he made sure that Naruto stayed up long enough to stuff himself with pancakes before allowing the boy to crawl off to bed. Minato intended to finish off the coffee pot and shower before he joined his son in sleep.

_What a night,_ he thought around a yawn.

After Kushina had calmed down and received some vital information from Crane, the evening had been very uneventful. She drifted in and out of mental shock for hours and stuck to his side the whole night, cleaning off the blood from both their pelts with her tongue. Minato had spent his wolf-time adjusting to Kushina's new foxy smell—which Naruto informed him was not new at all, it was how she was supposed to smell all the time—and wrestling with his wolfish instincts to reaffirm his physical bond with his mate (a difficult prospect considering how long he'd been alone and without female companionship, but very necessary as Naruto was present). And once Naruto was sure that there would be no more fighting, the boy relaxed and started goofing off—running around, pouncing on tails (mainly Kushina's) out of boredom, asking questions about the things that he smelled, and almost begging to be taught the _rasengan_, especially after Minato had been persuaded to demonstrate what it could actually do.

_If we could've skipped the brawl it wouldn't have been so bad—_

A ripple ran through his web of perimeter seals and Minato paused, his coffee cup half-way to his mouth. When he recognized Kushina's chakra he sighed and pushed off the counter and stumbled to the back door. He disengaged the seals and opened the door…

Kushina stared at him, like she still couldn't believe her eyes. Her long red hair looked wet and she was dressed in more flattering clothing than the replacements she'd acquired from the ANBU outpost for the outfit that she'd burned to ash. She hesitated, then traced her fingers over his cheek, and then hurled herself at him with a strangled whimper that almost made him drop his coffee.

"Good morning," Minato mumbled into her damp hair and eased her fully inside so that he could seal the door again.

"'Morning," she choked out into his shoulder as she clung to him and trembled. "Can I cook you breakfast?"

"Too late," he chuckled. "I already made pancakes."

"Shoot."

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

"No," she grumbled. "I was going to cook for you and Naruto…"

"How about oatmeal?"

When she agreed to that suggestion, he brought her into the kitchen and whipped up a bowl for her. While she ate, he poured himself the last cup of coffee and watched her, suddenly feeling a lot less sleepy. For a short stretch of time, it was like they hadn't been apart for nearly a decade and a half. They were just a man and a woman having breakfast in a companionable silence.

He drank in her beauty with his eyes while she was too busy eating to notice his stare. Her fox form was…interesting, and his inner-wolf found it exotic and intriguing. But her human form was what he'd always known, and all of him was entranced by it.

"So…Naruto's asleep now?" she asked after her spoon scraped the bottom of the bowl.

"Yep," he nodded and drained the last of his coffee from his mug.

Kushina fiddled with her crystal pendant, sliding it back and forth along its cord, and chewed at her lower lip. There was clearly something very weighty on her mind. Minato settled back and waited for her to work out what she wanted to say.

"You haven't showered yet, have you?"

…That was not the sort of thing he had expected her to ask.

"No," he blinked. "Why? Do I stink?"

"No," she snorted and removed her necklace—something he'd never seen her do before—and the fox-ish scent from the previous night returned almost instantaneously. "You smell fine," she grinned…looking oddly fox-like even though she hadn't shape-shifted at all.

"Okay…" he said slowly, his mind scrambling and flailing against fatigue.

"I was just going to offer to wash your back for you."

"But…haven't you showered already?" he asked, puzzled.

She came very close to glaring at him.

"Wha—oh. _Oooh!_ Right," he coughed nervously, his sluggish mind finally keying into the fact that washing his back was the _least_ of what she was really offering. "Yes, please, please, please! Let's do that."

"I don't know," she grumbled, pinning him with a narrow look. "Now that I think about it, I'm not sure that I want to find out how I stack up against all the experiences you've had while roaming remote forests—"

"My name is 'Minato' not 'Jiraiya'," he snapped a bit more sharply than he'd meant to. "And wolves are monogamous when they pair-bond, you know."

Kushina blinked, and her dark blue eyes grew soft, almost misty.

"So, you've been as lonely as I have," she murmured softly, "even though you really didn't have to."

"Neither did you," he pointed out, equally softly, the insult immediately forgotten.

Her eyes changed, the pupils turning vulpine, and they glittered predatorily as she stood up, walked around the kitchen table, and pulled him up from his seat by his shirt collar. His heart rate speed up instantly and he felt wide awake. It took every bit of his self-control—which felt quite frayed and feeble at the moment—to hold still and wait.

"Well, Mr. Namikaze," she practically purred, flashing him a pointy-toothed smile and tapping him on the tip of his nose with a suddenly claw-like fingernail. "You just set the boyfriend-bar ridiculously high…and I don't settle."

Then she kissed him before he could get to her first, and a tiny corner of his mind wondered why she'd suggested the shower when the kitchen table was so much closer…

* * *

The Hokage sighed in relief when his wife interrupted the tedium of his office by bringing him his lunch. He gratefully pushed his paperwork aside and starting unpacking the bento box. Biwako pulled up a chair to his desk and poured herself a cup of tea from a thermos she'd also brought along.

"So," she said before he could start eating, "are you sure that Mangetsu shouldn't give his report of the Uchiha incident in person instead of another ANBU reading the written account? I'm sure that it would make the proceedings much simpler."

"It would," Sarutobi agreed. "However, as soon as he started talking his identity would be revealed to all of the major clan heads. I would very much like to keep his presence in the village a secret for as long as possible."

"Swear them to secrecy," his wife suggested. "Declare knowledge of Mangetsu's true identity be an S-class secret. It's well within your power."

"I could do that," he nodded. "And I'm sure that most of the clans would respect my orders. The Uchiha, however, would not react well and considering the state of their relationship with the rest of the village I believe Fugaku would leak Mangetsu's name, at the very least."

"I suppose so," Biwako grimaced. "But you can't keep him in the shadows forever. Why not unveil him now when you have the most control over what the other clans know of him?"

"The fewer people know about him, the less likely it is for Orochimaru and his allies to learn of his return…" The old man scowled, a bitter taste filling his mouth. "My old student will strike out at us soon and as much as I hate to, I think it's best to use the image of a vulnerable and divided village to draw him out. If he were to know about Mangetsu, Orochimaru would hesitate, hold back and gather a much greater force to his cause—he's no fool. His hatred, arrogance, and—most importantly—ignorance, are the greatest weapons we have against him at this time, and hopefully it will give us the edge that will crush him and the Uzushio-nin who have joined with him."

"A preemptive strike would be better," the old woman countered. "Orochimaru wouldn't expect us to strike first."

"In order to do that, we would need a great deal more information on Orochimaru's movements and the Trials would have to be cancelled." Sarutobi took the thermos of tea from his wife and poured his own glass. "I've already tried to suggest cancelling, postponing, or even moving up the Trials so that we can focus our might on dealing with this rising external threat, but the Fire Daimyo doesn't see enough reason to do anything so drastic."

"'Drastic'?" she snorted derisively. "That's downright conservative compared to what other 'Kages have done in similar situations!"

"There isn't much solid proof that I could show him," the Hokage shrugged. "Most of what we know is second- even third-hand information channeled through Jiraiya from the Uzumaki—a source that is somewhat suspect. And what we believe is going to happen is pure speculation on our part."

"It's not wild guessing, it's logic," his wife argued. "Surely the Daimyo can connect the dots!"

"The Daimyo has a different perspective than we do, a different purpose." He leaned back in his chair and sighed when his back twinged a bit. "He thinks in terms of trade, diplomacy, and stability. It is his job to make peace work. Our job is to protect peace, and when that isn't possible to make war work for our side so that peace can return swiftly."

"I know," Biwako grimaced. "I know, I know! It's just so frustrating to have so many obstacles in the way of what we have to do."

"If there were no laws in our way, life would just be too easy," Sarutobi chuckled. "And we can't have that…it would be boring."

His wife rolled her eyes at him, but she smiled and the mood was lightened just enough for the two of them to enjoy their lunch.

* * *

Naruto tried to relax and act casual as he walked through the village streets as evening was falling over Konoha. He was far away from the Uchiha district, most villagers were eating dinner or spending time with their families, and his mother was with him. He was perfectly safe.

But outside of the anonymous walls of Mangetsu's house (and with "Mangetsu" napping on the couch back in that house), he couldn't help but eye every shadowy alleyway and side street in search of angry hunters with silver knives and poisoned darts.

"Naruto."

He flinched and glanced up at his mother sheepishly.

"You need to relax." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "You focus on getting us to Iruka's apartment and I'll keep watch for any baddies skulking around, okay?"

"Okay," Naruto agreed, forcing a grin.

They were on their way to Iruka's apartment to collect his clothes, ninja gear, and any other necessities so that he could go on a training trip for the rest of the break between the Forest of Death and the final trial. Once he was all packed, they would go back to the abandoned-looking house and have dinner. And after that he would be taken to some remote location on the fringes of Fire Country to slave away the next few weeks to rebuild and expand his strength.

When he'd woken up from his post-full moon nap and started on his very late lunch he had learned of this game plan and been very upset. If he left Konoha to train, he wouldn't be able to see his mother because she had business to complete in the village. Before he could totally freak out over that, however, they presented him with a deal.

_"I came up with this plan before your mother returned,"_ his father had explained while nursing a steaming mug of coffee._ "And now that she's here, I've made some adjustments. During the week, you'll be working with me, and on the weekends I'll bring her out so that you can train with her. How does that sound?"_

It sounded fantastic. Sure, his father could probably teach him a lot about being a ninja and a werewolf, but he didn't know anything about the sorts of things his mother's kind could do. Messing around with the blue fire on his own was fun and all but it would probably be better to have someone to learn from who knew what they were doing. And his mother could bring him treats, like Ichiraku ramen, when she visited, too.

Although, he would have to share his mother's attention now; she would be coming to see his father as much as she would be coming to see him. It was an uncomfortable thought. But not nearly as uncomfortable as the odd smell he'd come across in the kitchen when he'd been looking for lunch, which had reminded him of a few incidents from a few of the less happy homes he'd stayed in…

_I didn't see it,_ he thought, firmly shoving the mixed scents of his parents' and what it could mean into a little mental box and chucking it deep into a dark corner of his mind, _so it didn't happen._

_ Focus on the training that I'm going to get!_

Naruto managed a more genuine grin as he closed in on the neighborhood where Iruka's apartment building was. Training was going to be hard, he was sure, but it would be fun, too. He was going to learn new things and get stronger.

When he'd initially strived to become a ninja, it had been solely to gain enough strength to rescue his mother from the cold grasp of her family. But then she'd gotten free on her own, and while he was ecstatic to be with her again his goal was suddenly pointless. For a few hours, he'd felt lost as to what he should do. It seemed silly to continue with such a demanding path if it wasn't going to do anything for him.

That hadn't lasted long, though.

_I won't be getting stronger for Mom anymore; I'll be getting stronger for me. I'll get strong enough to defend myself. I'm tired of being afraid—_

A rustling sound from just inside an alley near a cluster of garbage cans made Naruto squeak and grab onto his mother's arm.

"Naruto?" his mother squawked, almost tripping.

"There was something…!"

A calico cat peeked out of the shadows of an overturned garbage can at him.

"…Never mind," the boy muttered, immediately letting go and feeling very stupid.

"That cat reminds me of a chronic D-rank mission," his red-haired mother mused as the alley cat ditched the can and darted deeper into the gap between the two buildings. "I really hated chasing that Tora-chan down…"

"You know that cat, too?" Naruto blinked. _That thing must be immortal!_

"That cat's still around?" his mother sputtered. "No…it can't be. That old lady must just name every new cat 'Tora-chan'…and treat all the poor beasts the same."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed.

They reached the doors to the building and Naruto led the way upstairs. He climbed a few flights of stairs and scampered down a hallway to stop in front of one of the doors, his mother barely two steps behind him. Since he'd lost his keys along with pretty much everything but his hitai-ate in the attack on him and the scramble to save his life, he had to knock on the door and wait to be let in.

The chuunin answered the door almost immediately and he looked sort of frantic.

"Naruto!" The Academy teacher dragged him into a quick, fierce hug, and then pushed him back so that he could get a good look at the boy. "You're alright!"

"Of course I am!" Naruto frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No one would tell me anything—not even Kakashi could give me any real information! I wasn't even allowed to visit." Iruka's grip on Naruto's shoulders almost painfully tight. "For all I knew you were in some hidden hospital room hovering on death's doorstep!"

"Oh." The boy shifted awkwardly. "Well, I'm okay now. Can I come in and get my stuff?"

"Your stuff?" Iruka blinked. "You're leaving?"

"For my training," Naruto nodded.

"You're moving out for your training?" the chuunin frowned.

"He'll be training outside of the village for security reasons," his mother explained.

Iruka jumped a bit and did a little double-take, like he hadn't noticed her presence at all.

"…How long will he be gone?" the Academy teacher asked her, suddenly turning stiff and wooden.

"Until the final trial," Naruto's mother replied with a slight shrug. "After that…"

Naruto slipped past Iruka and hurried into the apartment and the room that he had lived in until recently. He pulled out his duffel bags and started stuffing them with the things that he'd need. When he was done, the only things left behind were a few old scrolls, his digital alarm clock, the movie poster taped to the wall, and a dust bunny ranch underneath his bed. Grabbing his tooth brush and shampoo as he passed by the bathroom, he headed back for the adults by the door.

The stiff air between the two grown-ups had intensified into something nearly explosive in the ten minutes or so that he'd been away from them. Iruka was giving his mother a cold stare and his mother had a murderous look in her eye as she glowered back at him. There hadn't been any shouting, or even loud talking, but they had argued about something.

"Um…" Naruto swallowed and nervously scratched at his cheek.

His voice seemed to have broken the ugly staring contest. Iruka looked away from Naruto's mother and was once again the smiling, friendly teacher. The red-haired woman made a hissing sound and made an effort to regain her composure.

"So, you have everything you need, Naruto?" his old teacher asked.

"Yeah," the boy nodded slowly.

"Great!" Iruka patted his shoulder, his smile turning a bit sad. "Do your best with this training, and remember that you're _always_ welcome here."

"Okay," Naruto said warily. "See you later, I guess." Then he gave a semi-formal bow. "Thank you for letting me live with you, Iruka-sensei."

"It was no trouble at all," the scarred chuunin replied.

Naruto slipped out the door and into the hallway. His mother didn't immediately follow, so Naruto waited a few doors down. With how pissed off his mom had looked, he worried that there might be some more arguing before she would leave.

"If I didn't feel that I owed you a debt of gratitude for treating my son decently, I would've given you a few new scars," she growled harshly. "Learn some manners! They might save your life someday."

And then she stormed off to join him and head for the stairs down.

"Iruka-sensei needs to learn manners?" Naruto muttered in disbelief as he nearly had to run to keep up with his mother's stiff pace. "But he's always so polite and respectful…" _Well, except when someone pisses him off. Like that one time with the stink bombs during that test… He really yelled at me that time._

"Yeah, sure," his mother snarled. "He makes all these comments that say that I don't love you and that I got rid of you, and I tell him that there were lots of problems with my family and village, and then he wants to hear them and I can't tell him…so he calls my reasons a bunch of BS and acts all high and mighty!"

Naruto cringed as they exited the apartment building and returned to the village streets.

"But enough about that rude brat," she huffed. "Let's go get some nice takeout for dinner. I don't think your father will be awake enough to cook anything really good. We probably had a little too much fun this morning…"

"Yeah, let's get Ichiraku's!" Naruto cried and hurried off to the noodle stand. _And let's __**not**__ talk about whatever you did with Dad while I was sleeping!_

* * *

The moon, which was starting its waning cycle, was almost lost over the bright lights of the Land of Lightning's biggest resort town, renowned for its casinos. The streets were busy with tourists, even at this late hour. Everyone was seeking to satiate a vice, or cater to one.

In one of the smaller gambling houses a young-looking blonde woman strode towards one of the card tables. She was very well endowed up top and several other patrons of the establishment couldn't help but stare as the pig-tailed beauty walked past. Hot on her heels was a dark-haired girl with a seemingly-perpetual nervous expression and a pink pet pig in her arms. The blonde woman in the green "gambler" jacket appeared ignorant of her shadow and joined a new card game, slamming down an impressive number of chips and gesturing to the dealer to hand over some cards.

The men already at the table were amused to have a woman join them and were very eager to strip her of her hefty pile of chips. Cards were passed around, measuring looks exchanged, tokens shoved into the pot, and some players folded out. When all the moves were made, the remaining players showed their hands. The men sighed and swore when they found that the busty blonde had the winning hand…

…But she didn't look happy.

She looked _horrified_.

"I…won?"

Across the room, in a shadowy spot near a bank of noisy pachinko machines, an old woman in faded clothing with her silver hair up in two buns stood watching with a hint of a smile on her face.

_I have found you, descendant of mine…_


	43. Judgment

**Chapter 42**

_Judgment_

Naruto squinted against the bright rays of the rising sun as he stepped out onto the porch of the little, run-down cabin. It was some kind of ANBU safe-house tucked away in the mountainous north-east of the Land of Fire, miles away from the nearest small town, and he'd been warped there the previous night. After a good night's sleep and a quick breakfast it was time to start his training.

_Man,_ the boy thought, turning in circles to scan the tree-filled valley walled in by towering mountains that surrounded the battered cabin, _this place is really in the middle of nowhere._

"Are you ready to get started?"

The genin jumped a bit and spun back towards the shack. His trainer leaned up against its corner, almost hidden by the shadows. Naruto had been so distracted by the view he hadn't seen him.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "I'm ready."

"Okay then." The ANBU, dressed down in jounin gear, pushed off the cabin wall and started off down a narrow trail, waving for Naruto to follow. "We've lost some time, but there's not anything we can do about it except for get done what we can. So, to get things started, I'll be evaluating your skills to see what exactly you need the most help with."

"How're you going to do that?" Naruto wondered.

They emerged from the trees into a hilly meadow. His trainer brought him up to a tree stump with a timer resting on top of it. The adult fiddled with the clock before flashing the blond genin a cheerful smile.

"It's simple: You attack me with everything you have."

"Attack you?" Naruto frowned, uneasy. "…What if I hurt you?"

The man blinked, and then he started laughing even though he was clearly trying not to.

"What's so funny?" the boy scowled.

"I'm sorry," the blond man wheezed, rubbing at his eye. "Don't worry about hurting me and don't hold back, I need to see exactly what you can and can't do, okay?"

"Okay," Naruto nodded.

"Now," the adult continued, his amusement fully under control, "to make things a bit more interesting, I'll put a few items on my person. If you can steal one of them, I'll buy you dinner at the restaurant of your choice after the finals. If you can steal both of them, I'll buy you dinner _and_ arrange for you to sign a summoning contract. How does that sound?"

"Cool!" the genin grinned, bouncing in place with excitement. "What do I have to steal?"

His father smirked and whipped out a pair of silvery bells that hung from little leather straps.

Naruto's face fell.

_Aw crap!_

* * *

Mikoto fidgeted anxiously at the little two-person table in a quiet corner of the inside of the café. She would've preferred to eat at one of the outside tables, but it was a miserable drizzly day and unseasonably chilly, too. Peeking out the nearest window she couldn't help but think that the weather was an omen…

_Fugaku will be judged today._

She hadn't thought much on the upcoming…trial. She really should go with Itachi and witness it. But now the day was upon her and she wasn't sure if she could do it. Would it really matter if she was there or not? The Hokage had already made his decision; it was just a matter of him announcing it.

"Man, this place is really busy today," Kushina complained, flopping down in the seat across from the Uchiha. "There was a line in the ladies room!"

"Lunch is a busy time at any restaurant," Mikoto sighed and sipped at the water provided while they waited for the kitchen to cook their food.

"Unless the restaurant is a crappy one," the Uzumaki retorted.

Mikoto nodded, graciously conceding the point.

"So…what did you want yesterday?" Kushina asked. "Did you want to know where I was? Or did you want to go shopping?"

"I had some questions…probably sensitive questions…so—" she pulled a seal-marked slip of paper out of her pocket, ran a spark of chakra through it, and set it in the middle of the table "—I brought a little protection along."

The seal paper contained a genjutsu that would muddle their conversation to any eavesdroppers. Any ninja worthy of the chuunin rank (or higher) had the ability to dispel the illusion, but in a café dominated by civilians it would work nicely. So long as Kushina didn't get upset and draw attention to their table, they would seem beneath notice and appear to be talking about whatever the outside listener found to be supremely boring.

"…Thanks?" Kushina replied, a mixture of curiosity and worry in her expression. "You know that even with this, if you ask about something that's a clan or village secret that I still can't answer you, right?"

"I know," Mikoto nodded.

Their server arrived and delivered their orders. Kushina received soup and Mikoto got a salad. When the waitress was gone, the Uzumaki stirred at her meal with her chopsticks and gave a slow nod.

"Alright, ask away and we'll get this over with."

Mikoto took a bite of salad to organize her thoughts before launching her first question.

"From what Sasuke told me, your son seems to be capable of partial transformations beyond what latent werewolves can achieve without the full moon…and the animal features that he exhibited didn't appear particularly wolfish." The Uchiha picked at her salad with her sticks, preparing another bite. "I know he's a werewolf. Fugaku used the silver test on him and had a positive response. So please explain these anomalies to me."

"You know Sasuke didn't see any of this himself, right? Some girl told him about it, which makes it third-hand information at best." Kushina twirled a strand of red hair around her finger and frowned. "And you're starting to sound a little bit too much like your husband for my taste."

A flash of anger rippled through Mikoto's being, but she suppressed it. Getting into an argument wouldn't get answers to her questions. And her friend had legitimate concerns, especially considering what had already happened.

"It's clear that Hokage-sama knows about Naruto and finds nothing significantly dangerous about him, otherwise Fugaku would not be imprisoned," the Uchiha woman replied a bit tensely. "I have no desire to defy Hokage-sama's wishes; I'm merely curious and a bit concerned." She locked eyes with her old friend. "I won't tell Fugaku anything that you tell me, I promise."

Kushina pulled a clump of noodles from her soup to her mouth and chewed thoughtfully before speaking.

"…Well, the reason Naruto can spontaneously shift more than a latent werewolf is that he _isn't_ a latent werewolf," she said at last. "He's a fully realized one."

Mikoto blinked.

"But," she furrowed her brow, "how…?"

"When he was really little I made the mistake of leaving him alone on a full moon night, he pried the shutters open, and I came back to find a much furrier child. I freaked out, but when the sun came up, he got back to normal and I asked me why I was crying. He's done it tons of times since then with no problems." Kushina shrugged. "It's hard to say why he can do it, but he can and I'm not complaining about it."

Mikoto stared.

"He doesn't become…aggressive?"

"Nope," Kushina said with a smile.

"But…" the Uchiha woman tucked some loose black hair behind one ear. "What about his fox-like attributes?"

"I can't really explain that," Kushina shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Certain bloodline quirks are classified as village secrets in Uzushio. Hokage-sama knows and I'm sure that he'll let the clans in on things when he feels the time is right, so…patience."

"Hokage-sama knows Uzushio secrets?" Mikoto murmured.

Villages kept secrets from each other. It was expected in ninja-centric settlements. Allies had far fewer secrets than enemies, but there were always secrets. And so long as those secrets weren't dangerous or didn't involve plans to surprise-attack an ally, it really wasn't a problem.

"Yes," Kushina nodded, suddenly looking rather grim. "There's trouble brewing in Whirlpool. My village is divided and my family is out to prove loyalty to Konoha before we get lumped in with the rest."

"Civil war?" Mikoto breathed.

That was a nightmare for any ninja village, especially in the old days when wars between men were more common and easily sparked. A village that fought itself couldn't protect itself from outside forces. And if that village had important resources, it was all the more tempting for rivals to strike.

"Doubtful," Kushina answered. "The divide is too lopsided and my clan knows it's pointless to try and fight, we'd only be crushed. I'm not sure what the plan is besides secure Konoha's friendship to the Uzumaki specifically instead of Uzushio in general. I don't know if my father wants Konoha to invade to pacify the other side or if he's thinking of seeking refuge here…but I know that those who are siding with the Kurohi—the clan leading the other faction—are gearing up for more than taking over Uzushio. When their control there is assured, they'll be looking outward and Konoha is a very likely target."

Mikoto felt a chill race over her skin. Uzushio had always been Konoha's ally, from the moment both villages formed at the tail end of the chaotic Hidden Clans era. Whereas others had come and gone from Konoha's side, the ninja of Uzu had always been there. It seemed inconceivable that they would turn against the Leaf out of the blue.

"Why…?"

"The Kurohi are staunch isolationists," Kushina grimaced. "They have been since their formation. And they hold grudges for forever and a day. They were the only clan against Uzushio's alliance with Konoha and constantly called for it to end after it was passed over their heads. Since my clan has slipped out of prominence they've been gathering influence to themselves and now they'll finally be able to get what they want."

The red-head devoured her soup with a scowl. Mikoto automatically consumed her salad, lost in thought. She'd demanded this talk in hopes of clearing up the mystery of her friend's werewolf son, and instead had stumbled over something wholly unexpected and thoroughly unnerving.

"Hokage-sama is fully informed of the situation," the Uzumaki said after she'd finished off her soup. "I'm sure that he has a plan or two in the works for dealing with this, so try not to worry. But…while this 'protection' is in place…I suppose it's safe to say that Biyokuchi Kasshoku is in league with the Kurohi and his position as the official Uzushio ambassador is a total cover. He's here to spy and do nefarious but subtle things. So my campaign to get rid of him isn't just out of personal dislike, but for Konoha's benefit, too. Give him the boot if Hokage-sama asks what you think of him, okay?"

"Why haven't you been telling everyone the real reason you're bad-mouthing Kasshoku?" Mikoto asked.

"That is for Hokage-sama to decide when to make public, or semi-public," Kushina replied. "He wants to make sure that Uzushio believes that Konoha is utterly oblivious to any machinations against the Leaf, and the best way to do that is to keep this information quiet and to get rid of Kasshoku for reasons other than: 'We think you're a spy paving the way for some action against Konoha so get the hell out!'."

"…I see," Mikoto murmured, picking at the remains of her salad.

"Don't look so grim," the red-head snorted. "The Kurohi are a pack of arrogant jerkasses, and their allies are no better. They have no idea what they're in for if they actually turn on Konoha." Kushina smiled a toothy predator's smile. "No idea at all."

"Oh?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow.

Her friend just kept grinning and asked: "Do you want to split a dessert?"

_Here I wanted answers,_ Mikoto sighed,_ and I'm finding even __**more**__ questions…_

* * *

When Ino's mother fixed up bento boxes for her team, the young kunoichi brought them out to where Asuma-sensei was supervising her two teammates training. Chouji was immediately distracted by the arrival of food, and Asuma-sensei gently scolded him for losing focus so easily as he accepted his own boxed lunch. Shikamaru simply collapsed where he was standing, so Ino brought his bento to him.

"So?" Ino prompted quietly while Chouji and their sensei were still off talking and eating. "Have you thought more about it?"

"I need more information," Shikamaru groaned, staring at her through one half-open eye. "From all that you've told me, Naruto doesn't match anything we've covered in class…and with my training schedule I don't have time to do any extra research." He sighed deeply and took the bento box she was offering him, but still didn't sit up. "This is so troublesome. Why did I ever listen to you?"

"Because I'm beautiful and I brought you an intriguing mystery," Ino smiled, batting her eyelashes at her lazy teammate.

Shikamaru sighed deeply and slowly levered himself up into a sitting position so that he could eat the food brought to him. Annoyed that he hadn't responded to what she'd said, Ino glowered and smacked his shoulder. Before things could degenerate further, Chouji ambled over to them, his bento almost completely consumed already.

"Are you talking about the judgment today?" the Akimichi asked around a mouthful of rice.

"The what?" Ino blinked.

"Hokage-sama's passing judgment on the Uchiha today," Chouji told her. "Haven't you heard about it?"

"Yeah—that's today?" When Chouji nodded, Ino scowled. "Ah, so that's where Daddy went…" _Wah, I got so drawn into Naruto's weirdness that I totally lost track of this! I'm losing it!_

"Mm-hm, it's today," Chouji needlessly confirmed. "I wonder how it's going to go…"

"Whatever the result," Shikamaru grunted as he examined his bento, "it's bound to be very, very troublesome."

Ino silently agreed. _It doesn't take a genius to figure that out with the Uchiha clan involved…_

* * *

Uchiha Fugaku held his head up high and fixed his gaze straight forward as he was led into the meeting room by a pair of masked ANBU. His clansman, Tekka, followed a few steps behind, also flanked by ANBU-nin. There was a long, slightly curved table at the far end of the chamber with the Hokage sitting at the center, the two elders on either side of him, and the heads of all the prominent clans filling the rest of the seats. A selection of other jounin and minor clan heads stood at the back of the room as well. He couldn't see all of who was attending with only his right eye and he refused to turn his head and highlight his disability to the most influential ninja in the village.

The atmosphere in the room could be compared to that of a gambling card game, without any shred of joviality or enjoyment among the players. Fugaku kept his face impassive and his posture confident as he was stopped before the table. The Hokage and his allies gave him blank expressions in return, hiding any hint of their thoughts from his eye. Tension thickened the air and every tiny sound seemed unnaturally loud.

The old Hokage in his wide-brimmed hat sat silent for several long minutes, no doubt trying to intimidate the Uchiha standing in front of him, before deigning to speak.

"Uchiha Fugaku, you and your clansmen—Tekka, Yashiro, and Shisui—have willfully ignored all proper procedures and attempted to assassinate one of my sworn ninja—the genin Naruto. You did not speak with me and instead conspired to commit murder, made more heinous by the fact that the intended victim is a child. He was lured away into a secluded area and violently assaulted by silver knives coated with poison, and had one of my ANBU not intervened the boy would have died."

Sarutobi paused for a minute for dramatic effect.

"Yashiro and Shisui are beyond any man's reach now, but you and Tekka are not." The Hokage steepled his fingers before him. "Before your punishments are decreed, you have this opportunity to speak your piece, should you wish to."

Fugaku didn't need to look at Tekka to know that his clansman would defer to him. Tekka was a proper Uchiha, dedicated to the clan's goals and its unity. If he hadn't been prepared to accept the consequences for eliminating the werewolf-child, he would have bowed out of the mission and allowed another Uchiha to take his role. He knew that Fugaku would speak for him and for the clan and there was nothing he had to add beyond his silent loyalty.

Reluctantly giving in to his disability, Fugaku slowly turned his head so that he could get a good look at every clan represented with his remaining eye. The Senju representative was beneath his notice; the once powerful clan that had almost been a worthy equal to the Uchiha had degenerated and thinned over the centuries so that the only Senju of note was Tsunade, and she had abandoned the village as a coward, gambling and drinking her inheritance away until she was buried under frightening debts. The Sarutobi representative wasn't much better—the seat was held by the Hokage's wife and she was her husband's puppet. Shibi of the Aburame was a typical product of his clan—logical with the mindset of an insect so he viewed the Hokage as his "queen" which made betrayal for him unthinkable. Tsume of the Inuzuka was just like the dogs her clan so obsessively revered, loyal to her "alpha" and unfortunately not the ambitious sort that could recognize that the Hokage was old and needed replacement. Chouza of the Akimichi was physically strong, but mentally weak, and dependent on the Yamanaka and Nara to make any intellectual sort of decision. Inoichi of the Yamanaka was of average intelligence for a ninja but complacent and thoroughly satisfied with the status quo of the village. Shikaku of the Nara was very smart, but disgustingly lazy and no matter what the state of the village was, it was unlikely that he could be bothered to do anything about it. Hiashi of the Hyuuga was a fearsome shinobi but, being a Hyuuga, he would never lift a finger to help any Uchiha; the Hyuuga felt that their _kekkei genkai _was superior to the Uchiha's but that just wasn't true, nor was their backward, divided house any match for the united power of Fugaku's family. And the two village elders, Homura and Koharu, though conservative, were just as much the Hokage's little puppets as his wife.

Not a soul at that table would help him, even if this meeting wasn't about punishing him for trying to eliminate a dangerous creature. Their loyalty to an aging Hokage and the rare opportunity to feel superior to the mighty Uchiha ensured their agreement to whatever the old fool wanted done. It was profoundly difficult for Fugaku to let them see the utter contempt he felt for them and their weakness.

But he was an Uchiha, and he had his honor, dignity, and reputation to uphold so he held himself above their petty level.

"I acted according to my conscience," Fugaku declared. "I saw a danger and I sought to eliminate it. I acted expeditiously as this danger was left in close proximity to one of my clan. Had I gone through the aforementioned proper procedures, one of my blood might very well have suffered gravely, or perhaps some other innocent genin. This danger existed because others were too weak to do what needed to be done. Its mother was weak and did not end the pregnancy when its father was revealed to be a werewolf. Its relatives were weak and expelled it instead of eliminating it. And Hokage-sama allowed it to thrive, either out of ignorance which indicates a weakness of mind, or knowingly which indicates a weakness of will. I was not blinded by its childish exterior, however. I saw a werewolf and I sought to destroy it, as all werewolves must be destroyed so that the magical disease of lycanthropy might someday be eradicated from our continent. Had I had any confidence in the strength of any other clan of this village, I would've called upon them for their assistance, but regrettably only my own clan seems to have the fortitude to preserve the safety of this village."

He paused and looked over the representatives once again, turning the Hokage's little drama trick back on him.

"Pass your sentence," he grunted. "I regret nothing but my failure to permanently eliminate the threat."

When Tekka failed to throw in his own comments, the Hokage sighed and glanced to his left and then to his right at those seated with him.

"Does any other clan have anything to say?"

"The Hyuuga wish to know more about this genin, Naruto," Hiashi said, his tone flat and formal as always.

"Naruto is the son of Namikaze Minato," the Hokage replied, "and regrettably inherited lycanthropic abilities as a result. However, unlike the werewolves we encounter when hunting demons, he is mentally stable and minimally dangerous. The moment he came to my attention I have had him under observation. I consider him to be one of my loyal ninja, sworn to my service, and under my protection. He is young but I have faith in him and I believe he has the potential to become as powerful and talented as his parents. In the unlikely event that he becomes dangerous, he will be dealt with as I see fit, and can only be destroyed on my orders, or the orders of whoever succeeds me as Hokage."

Fugaku fought back a sneer.

_It's a pity that Danzou got himself mixed up in that wretched half-demon's experiments and died. He would've agreed with me about the need to replace the Hokage and the will and wit to plot against Hiruzen. And, as one of the last of the Hokage's generation, he would've been able to win over Homura and Koharu to our side as well._

"Is there anything else?" the old Hokage asked.

When none of the other clan heads spoke up, the village leader moved on.

"Your actions border on treason," the old man said. "For the attempted murder of one of my genin and the utter disregard of my authority that such an action implies, I sentence you thusly: Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Tekka are hereby stripped of shinobi ranks and status. Neither of you may ever again step beyond the walls of this village for any reason. Your resignations from the Military Police force are required. And until Fugaku either retires as active clan head or dies the Uchiha clan's seat on the village council is suspended. Should you ever attempt to harm Naruto again, or engage in similar behavior, the Military Police will be dissolved and a replacement organization will be formed under joint Hyuuga and Inuzuka control."

"You have no authority to do that!" Fugaku snapped.

"On the contrary, I most certainly do," Sarutobi replied coldly. "The Military Police was envisioned by the Shodai's successor and given to the Uchiha clan as a sign of trust after the uncertainty spawned by the outcast Madara. It was created by the office of Hokage, it exists by the Hokage's permission, and the Hokage can destroy it. You and your clan would do well to remember that."

There was an ugly pause in which Fugaku couldn't help but glower at the withered old fool who would recklessly destroy the village's security and violate the Uchiha clan's blood right to protect and police the land.

"Fugaku, Tekka, my ANBU will escort you both back to your clan lands and will you be restricted to that district until the Trials are completed," the Hokage told them. "You have two weeks to resign from the Military Police and select a new chief officer to run the organization in your absence. Be grateful," he advised them. "Were you not part of such a powerful and influential clan, and if you, Fugaku, were not the head of that clan, I would've had you both executed for your crimes and complete lack of remorse or regret."

The Hokage waved one hand and the ANBU that flanked Fugaku grabbed hold of his arms and turned him to leave, with Tekka just behind him. Now facing the exit, he could get a good look at the small standing crowd that had witnessed the judgment. Hatake the eye thief was there as was the Hokage's only surviving son, Asuma, along with a handful of less prominent jounin. Itachi, his wife Mikoto, and a pair of Uchiha elders were present, too.

Barely restrained fury burned in the eyes of the elders—Setsuna and Hikaku. Itachi's expression was clouded and difficult to read. And his soft-hearted wife couldn't look upon him, her beautiful dark eyes glassy with tears at his fate.

Fugaku almost tried to speak to her as he was led past, but then he caught sight of the red-haired woman standing beside her with a comforting arm around Mikoto's shoulders.

His opinion of people rarely changed from his first impression of them, and Fugaku's first impression of Uzumaki Kushina was that she was a loud-mouthed, overly-emotional, embarrassment of a kunoichi. Over the years her skills had probably improved as she had attained high rank and was still alive, but her personality was unchanged and that did her no favors. And her recent failure to deal with her diseased offspring properly actually made her sink lower in Fugaku's eye.

So instead of whispering a few words of comfort to his wife, he flashed the Uzumaki a disgusted sneer.

_Konoha will soon regret allowing Uzumaki's abomination to live. Soon it will grow up and start spreading its disease, if it hasn't already. And then the village will be overrun by monsters and everyone will wish that I had succeeded._

_ Namikaze's spawn is the wolf in shinobi's clothing…_

* * *

Naruto stood panting heavily and glared at his enemy. His clothes were torn and dirty, he'd lost his shoes at some point, and over the course of his struggle he'd gone completely fox. Lashing his bushy tail he peeled back his lips to bare his teeth and raised one hand-like paw that he shrouded in weak blue flames to attack—

_RING!_ the timer clock cried. _RING!_

The humanoid fox cringed.

_Damn it!_

His foe half-smiled at the sound. He was in far better shape than Naruto. His clothing and gear was undamaged expect for a single scorch-mark on the edge of one sleeve and his form remained fully human. The man was barely even breathing hard.

And two little bells hung undisturbed from his pants pocket.

"Well that was fun," the blond ninja cheerfully remarked. "And very educational. Let's take an hour break to eat something and then we can really get started."

Naruto collapsed in the soft meadow grass and panted like a dog, the flickers of flame coating his hand immediately winking out. He felt close to exhausted and an hour late lunch break didn't seem like nearly enough time to recover the energy needed for training. The silvery bells that he'd tried so hard to steal glinted in the sunlight as if they were mocking him and his feeble genin skills.

_"(I hate you!)"_ the fox-boy wheezed, totally frustrated.

"I know," his father replied as he turned away and strolled back towards the cabin, his smile shifting into something closer to an expression of pain. "I know."


	44. Dark Currents, Hidden Eddies

**Chapter 43**

_Dark Currents, Hidden Eddies_

Biyokuchi Kasshoku sighed as he meandered towards a bar he'd stumbled upon shortly after arriving in the Leaf Village that he found to be suitable to his needs. Evening was falling and it was the perfect time to go and indulge in a few alcoholic beverages. By virtue of his superior body he wouldn't get the least bit impaired if he spaced out his drinks enough, although he would be careful to act tipsy so no one had any idea of what his true tolerances were.

_It's a pity that Fugaku is pretty much under house arrest until after the Trials,_ he thought as he drew closer to his destination. _And he will surely be under close watch by ANBU so I probably won't be able to manage any more face-to-face meetings with him. That complicates things…_

But Fugaku's punishment played well into his claws. He, and by extension the whole Uchiha clan, had been thoroughly humiliated. Fugaku had been stripped of all prestige outside of his clan and threats had been made against his precious Military Police. The Uchiha were more isolated from the rest of the demon-hunter community than ever before, and their dislike for the elderly Sarutobi in the Hokage's chair had been focused into a burning hatred.

_They are the perfect tool for destabilizing this village,_ he smirked. _The trick will be in motivating them into action without being tied to them. Fugaku, as clan head, is the best point to manipulate them from, but with him under such suspicion—_

A pair of masked ANBU-nin dropped from the rooftops and blocked his path, forcing him to stop.

"…Can I help you?" Kasshoku asked with strained politeness. _What the hell is this about now?_

"Hokage-sama regretfully informs you that your presence in Konoha is no longer necessary, or appreciated," one of the ANBU said. "Uzumaki Kushina will take over your position as representative of your village, and you are required to leave Konoha by first light tomorrow."

"…What?" Kasshoku growled softly. "He can't do that. I am the chosen representative of Uzushio—that Uzumaki is here illegally!"

"You are welcome to discuss the details with Hokage-sama," the second ANBU informed him. "However, it wasn't just his decision. The main motivation in this action comes from the clans of Konoha. After Uchiha Fugaku was judged, the great clans of the village got into a discussion on the two representatives of Uzushio and they quite unanimously decided only Uzumaki Kushina was necessary."

Barely leashing his outrage, Kasshoku pushed past the ANBU pair and altered his course from the bar to Hokage Tower.

"I believe I will be discussing this with Hokage-sama," he half-snarled.

The closer he came to the Tower, the hotter his fury burned. And simmering underneath that was a bitter taste of fear. It had been a long time since he'd failed a mission, especially one that was so easy.

_The Hokage can't do this to me!_ he fumed. _He, and his village, has no say in the representative that Uzushio sends. I was chosen, not her! That old man can't know that a few signatures on my papers were forged…_

A chill tightened his shoulders.

_I can't have been found out as a saboteur, I—_

"Hey, Biyokuchi!"

He stopped dead and looked right to see the wretched Uzumaki woman leaning against a light pole and smirking at him.

"I don't have time to listen to you babble," he sneered.

"Heh, I guess you've heard then," she grinned nastily and pushed off the post to stroll right up to him. "I told you that I'd steal your job. You should've just packed up and left earlier to avoid the humiliation." She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and before he could shove her off she leaned in to whisper into his ear. "Consider yourself very lucky that the Uchiha have already been thoroughly spanked, otherwise I would've told those nasty clan elders they've been eating out of a fox's paw."

Kasshoku turned white and choked on half-formed sentences.

"I win, you lose~!" she cackled and swept off, swinging a fist in victory. "Suck on that, dattebane!"

_…I really hate that bitch._

* * *

Uzumaki Kenjiro really wished that he could skip the monthly meeting of clan leaders. He'd never enjoyed them, even when his clan still commanded respect. And when his clan slipped into the social gutter, the meetings seemed like an even bigger waste of his time as all of his opinions were ignored—even the clans who were still somewhat friendly to him turned a deaf ear to him in this formal setting. But he came every month nonetheless.

In the earliest days of the village, the meeting place had been a tent in the center of the walls, which had been constructed first, before any building. After the walls had been raised, it was a shack while housing for the residents of the village was built. But for all of Kenjiro's life, it had been one of the most ornate and over-decorated buildings in all of Uzushiogakure no Sato.

It was a tower similar to a small castle from older eras. It was formed of several stacks of floors, each with its own roof with upturned corners. Flying from the highest roof was a white flag bearing the village's symbol: a blue fat spiral. Around the base of the layered tower were two entrances, one in the north and the other in the south. Most of the building contained offices and administrative areas, much like Konoha's Hokage Tower, but instead of the most important place being at the top it was buried deep in the basement.

The meeting chamber itself was a cylinder with two doors—one aligned with the east and the other with the west. Equally distributed around the walls were ten alcoves, one for each of the ten clans. Each alcove was little more than a low shelf set into the wall where the clan head would sit in a nest of cushions. Every clan decorated their space with silk curtains and their clan symbol.

Kenjiro made his way over to the seat beneath the white Uzumaki spiral and tied back the blue curtains so that he could sit in his nook and glance around the chamber. The arrangement of places for the clans never changed, and the circular design of the room was meant to convey equality. But equality among the clans had been a futile dream and the top-ranked clan who opened and closed the meeting and moderated debates was set apart from the others by a golden cloth hung over their alcove.

For generations that cloth had been displayed over the Uzumaki white spiral…but now it was pinned above the black flame on the red field of the Kurohi.

Grimacing at the sight, Kenjiro let his eyes wander over the other eight clan seals as he waited for all the leaders to arrive and the meeting to get underway.

Hoshitama's symbol was of a pale yellow star on a dark blue field. They were a quiet bunch that produced few ninja. Their real talents lay in crafting jewelry and highly decorated weapons meant for display. They knew ancient techniques and seals that could be imbedded in gems and precious metals, and they had created all of the crystal pendants that suppressed Kitsune-specific traits which had become so important to the village's survival.

Clan Furukawa was represented by a green circle bisected by a thick, squiggly blue line. Before the slaughter they had managed several profitable merchant houses that operated along rivers. They also had produced many fishermen, sailors, and boat builders. Some of them still fished in the sea to provide extra food for the village that didn't need to be bought from human vendors, but most of the clan had converted into warriors in response to the genocide of the humans' "Great Hunt".

The Biyokuchi were signified by five vertical red stripes on black. They had always been a war-like bunch with a preference for fighting in beast form with tooth and tail. Their combat skills had doubtless allowed their clan to survive, but bottling them up into the increasingly cramped confines of the village made them self-destructive. The Biyokuchi had always been a widespread clan, with plenty of space between members so that conflicts had room to cool off and resolve themselves. There was no room for that in Uzushiogakure no Sato. Of course they would side with the Kurohi; they wanted space again so they were known more for their warrior skill than their domestic troubles…

The crossed blue-steel daggers on a black background was the symbol of Clan Retsukai, another bloodline of fighters. They favored knives and poisons and had once made a tidy little living as bodyguards and assassins. When they joined the forming village, they became the weapon-smiths, producing kunai, shuriken, wire, short swords, exploding tags, and innumerable styles of daggers. Conflict was their business and perhaps they saw great profit in backing a war against humankind…

Clan Myoubikou was represented by a black paw print on misty gray. They were the finest illusionists in the whole village. In the old days they had played at being fortune-tellers and had amused or terrified (depending on the individual and their mood) humans with their genjutsu. Every ninja that they produced was heavily genjutsu-dependent and they made fine spies. Their clan was a quiet one, but very proud of their abilities. Maybe they favored the Kurohi's plans so that they could prove their supremacy…and perhaps eliminate the Uchiha, whose eyes made their greatest talent useless.

The Kurokawa's symbol was a red circle bisected horizontally with a thick, squiggly black line. They were rivals of the Furukawa, but where the Furukawa had been mostly law-abiding river people, the Kurokawa had essentially been pirates on the high seas. Clan Kurokawa hadn't raided merchant ships for profit, but for fun, for the challenge. They were often compared to the Uzumaki for their loud, gregarious nature and their straightforward fighting style, but they lacked Clan Uzumaki's prized honor and honesty. The Kurokawa were mercenaries and rogues and surely they wanted to get back in the business of being fearless pirates again, instead of cautious and restricted ninja.

The seal of the Akisame was a red maple leaf on light blue. They had been born in deep, ancient forests—offshoots of a forest fox clan. Akisame loved working with wood and had once been the masters of the both the carpenters' and architects' guild in the Land of Forests. They had constructed most of Uzushiogakure no Sato from the ground up, and supervised or planned whatever they hadn't built with their own paws. Politics escaped them, however, and they were very easy for more savvy clans to manipulate. The Kurohi would have no trouble drawing them in when the time came.

And the sakura flower against deep purple was the sign of the Kinomoto. The Kinomoto were pacifists who pursued intellectual professions. Their men became professors, accountants, writers, and doctors. And their women were painters, pottery-makers, poets, and geisha. Very few had become ninja upon joining with Uzushiogakure no Sato; instead, their clan did most of the administrative paperwork and managing the budget. They were oblivious to anything outside of their areas of interests, such as political machinations, and they shied away from violence and conflict. Like the Akisame, they were easy prey for the Kurohi.

Grimacing bitterly, Kenjiro turned his stare back to the black flame of the Kurohi. Their clan was a product of the Great Slaughter. They were formed from the shards and ashes of dozens of other clans, and so had no real group characteristics or history. It had coalesced under the leadership of the current head's father, the last of the Kurosaki. Dozens of other sole survivors and shattered pieces of families threw themselves under the sway of his charisma.

One group—the Hitoyama, which could've remained its own clan had one of them stepped forward as a leader in the wake of their head family's slaughter—formed more than a quarter of the Kurohi's initial strength, and many older foxes still thought of them as a separate entity from the bastardized Kurohi. The Hitoyama brought with them their skills in mining, which they used to stabilize and expand the caves beneath the village for secret training purposes, and their stone mason skills, which were vital in building the defensives walls around the village. Those descended from the Hitoyama were gentle and blindly loyal, and Kenjiro wished that one of them had had the strength to step up and form Uzushio's eleventh clan, instead of folding into the tenth. But even if they had remained autonomous, they'd be just as easy pickings for the Kurohi as the Akisame and Kinomoto.

Along with his own clan, the Uzumaki, they formed the Village Hidden in the Eddies. Not all were known as upstanding groups. Some of them were even criminal at points in their past. But when it came to the survival of the Kitsune race, old transgressions and gray moralities were overlooked. So long as they had no ties to the wicked Kyuubi no Yoko, they were welcome to take shelter in their haven in _Uzu no Kuni_.

However, some Kitsune survivors had turned up that had aligned themselves to the monstrous nine-tails. They, too, wanted sanctuary, but they had been turned away. Such foxes were true criminals in anyone's eyes and Uzushio would not harbor them. Kenjiro heard all sorts of wild tales about what might've happened to the few surviving wicked foxes—that they retreated to remote places in the Lands of Iron and Snow, or boarded boats to remote continents were no Kitsune had lived before—but no one knew anything for sure, and nothing had been heard of them for over one hundred and fifty years.

Kenjiro's inner musings were interrupted as the final clan leader, Kurohi Yuuta, made his entrance into the chamber. He always made sure to turn up last, even when his clan had been at the bottom of the social pile. Yuuta, dressed in expensive black robes, embroidered with gold threads, first tended to the small shrine to Inari, patron deity of the Kitsune race, before settling into his clan's place. The air was quiet and tense as the incense that Yuuta had lit slowly filled the chamber with hazy, fragrant smoke. When Yuuta felt the moment was perfect, he finally opened the meeting.

"Greetings honored leaders," he said with a shallow bow of his head and shoulders. "We meet today to honestly share what lies in our clans' hearts so that we might preserve our unity and safety. May Inari-kami enlighten us and bless us with good fortune."

Mutters of agreement rippled around the room, and then Yuuta got down to business. He called on each clan head in turn to hear and discuss their requests and disputes. Kenjiro barely half-listened as he was unlikely to be allowed to voice his opinion on any of the matters brought up, and he would be the last one called on.

The Biyokuchi, Retsukai, and Kurokawa regurgitated their tired old complaints. The Akisame proposed new renovations and building projects and the Kinomoto asked them where they were going to get the money for that as the budget was very tight this year. The Myoubikou passed on their turn, as they usually did. And the Hoshitama and Furukawa brought up the lost children and futilely demanded that something be done.

"…And what does Clan Uzumaki have to say?" Yuuta asked, not quite keeping the disdain from his voice.

"Nothing that Clans Hoshitama and Furukawa haven't said already," Kenjiro responded blandly. "I pass." _Now bring Kurohi's issues so that I can go home and do something productive._

"I see," Yuuta nodded stiffly. "Now I shall speak for Clan Kurohi…" After a minute of silence to 'separate' himself from the role of moderator and return to being just a clan head, he started to speak again. "Disturbing information has reached my ears," he announced gravely. "It seems that Clan Uzumaki has sent a representative to Konohagakure no Sato without any permission or consent from this council."

There were no whispers or loud gasps, but the smoky room sang with tension. Kenjiro merely frowned. He knew that Kushina's presence in Konoha would eventually come back to bite him here, and the Kurohi seemed determined to make it work for them as much as possible.

_I suppose I should be grateful that they waited for the regularly scheduled meeting instead of calling an emergency meeting the instant that word reached them._

"What do you have to say for yourself, Uzumaki?" Yuuta demanded.

Kenjiro, despite being the youngest man in the room, didn't waver under the nine pairs of eyes, many of them with _centuries_ on him. He stared right back at Yuuta, ignoring everyone else, and almost sounded bored when he made his response.

"I felt it prudent to send a representative for my clan as the 'official' representative of Uzushiogakure currently in Konoha was not approved of by me or anyone in my clan."

The incense-choked atmosphere in the room darkened as a subtle scowl crept onto Yuuta's craggy face.

"And you feel that your daughter, Uzumaki Kushina, represents your clan's interests?" he sneered.

It was a loaded question. Kushina's personal reputation within Uzushio was in utter ruins. If he agreed, it would publicly confirm that his clan was just like her—sexually deviant with a werewolf fetish, rash, irresponsible, and reckless.

"She was the best choice available," Kenjiro answered with a slight shrug. "She is familiar with the current Hokage and all the current clan heads of Konoha, and she is well within the acceptable age range for liaisons. And if she found out that I sent anyone else, she might very well have burned my district down."

"Your daughter," the Biyokuchi head growled disgustedly, "is impulsive and destructive. If her lover hadn't been a werewolf, she would've remained in Konoha and born him a hanyou child—a hanyou child in the heart of a demon-hunting village! We would've been ruined!"

"Young people become foolish and shortsighted when they fall in love," Kenjiro responded. "Namikaze Minato is gone now and so her judgment should be less clouded."

"'Should be'?" the Retsukai head snorted. "Call her back this instant! My clan has no faith in her."

"She won't obey," Kenjiro retorted. "There's nothing for her here but scorn and ridicule. Even if I traveled to Konoha to personally collect her, she would refuse. I'm not about to waste my time sending orders that will be ignored."

"Then I vote that we eliminate her," the Myoubikou leader said quietly. "Uzushiogakure no Sato cannot afford to have a rogue agent mingling with the enemy this way."

"Good ahead and try," Kenjiro almost laughed. "Her reputation took a hit in Konoha, too, for her actions, but she still has friends there. So if it's war with the Leaf that you want, go right on ahead and try to slip assassins into an allied village without the Hokage's knowledge or consent."

"Does anyone want Uzumaki Kushina in Konoha?" Yuuta asked.

Not a single clan leader raised their hand or spoke up.

"Then it seems clear to me that Uzumaki Kushina must be removed from Konoha, preferably without bloodshed and conflict…but she must leave." Yuuta glowered at Kenjiro with glittering yellow eyes. "So Kenjiro, remove your daughter or we will find a way to do it for you. Is that understood?"

Kenjiro gave a very slow nod. _Sure, I understand… Will I do it? No._

"Good," Yuuta growled. "Remember, failure brings consequences."

"I know," Kenjiro smiled tightly. _I remember…the question is: Do __**you**__?_

* * *

The sun had set and Hoshitama Morimaru paced his office. The missing children still hadn't been found and he was running out of comforting things to say to their parents. And now the Uzumaki's actions had been uncovered. It was surely just a matter of time before their gambit would be uncovered and then—

A tapping at his window made him freeze. Adjusting his spectacles he shuffled over to the glass to see a black-masked Shadow waiting there. When he opened the window, the Shadow handed him a small envelope and vanished into the night.

Morimaru warily studied the envelope like it might bite him. The Uzumaki spiral was stenciled on the back of it, but it was otherwise blank. With trembling fingers, he opened the envelope and removed a folded piece of paper.

It was a picture torn out of a magazine—a color photograph of a white dove with a string of numbers scribbled on it. The cipher was simple; Morimaru didn't even need scratch paper to decrypt it. A date and a time…nothing more.

Panic paralyzed him as he stared at the picture. Surely it hadn't come to this? There had to be some other way, some other option! Perhaps if he went to the Kurohi and spoke to Yuuta privately—

_No,_ he knew. _That would only bring doom on Hoshitama faster. Some of the craftsmen might be spared so that the crystal pendants could still be made, but the rest…_

And he knew he would never be able to live with himself, should he survive, knowing what the Kurohi were doing to helpless humans just offshore.

Hoshitama Morimaru let his shoulders sag and stood alone in his office for ten minutes more before getting about his business.

* * *

Furukawa Saito did his best to enjoy his after-meeting tea in his own office when he was rudely interrupted. A Shadow crouched in front of his window with an envelope. It was from the Uzumaki, and it contained a picture of a teacup and a set of numbers.

Unlike Morimaru, he didn't panic or contemplate throwing his clan on Clan Kurohi's non-existent mercy.

The old fox merely sighed and set the paper on fire with a blue spark of flame and disposed of the ashes in a wastebasket before returning to his tea.

_If there is any bright side to this situation, I suppose it would be that soon I shall get a chance to sample a wide variety of fine teas without paying to have them imported…_

* * *

There had been risks in concentrating most of the remains of their race in one spot. If they were found out by the shinobi world, they would be rendered extinct for sure. Therefore, contingency plans had been formulated in case they were discovered. They were desperate and probably would've failed, but with evacuation drills gave many a sense of security and hope.

It had been very simple for Kenjiro to modify those old, half-forgotten plans and retool them to his own purposes.

The original plan had been called "Diaspora" and had called for each clan to flee to pre-prepared hiding places in different regions and countries so that there was a greater chance that many of the clans survived. They would take only what they could carry and flee under the cover of darkness through the underground tunnels to various ports around Whirlpool Country. And once all the clans were established in their new homes, they would do their best to stay under the radar and start over fresh.

Kenjiro's modified plan was named "Exile" and it was just like the original plan, with only a few differences. For one, there would be fewer evacuees as only three of the ten clans would be leaving. But leaving the other seven clans out demanded stealth and secrecy, so each clan's top genjutsu masters would be casting illusions over their districts until everything was done. To keep the plan from leaking, only the Shadows from the clans involved, the genjutsu masters, and clan heads really knew what was going on. All of the other clansmen just thought that they were resurrecting an old drill, and trying out an old plan. None of them would realize that it was for real until they were boarding the boats hired to ferry them to the mainland.

The first night, Clan Hoshitama had vanished into the darkness without complications. The second night, Clan Furukawa had disappeared through the caves with only a few nervous moments brought on by crying babies. And now, on the third night, Kenjiro's own clan, the Uzumaki, were slipping away.

He'd left his eldest son, Kenshin, to manage the evacuation while he took care of one small errand. Kenjiro tugged his dark coat tighter over his shoulders and slipped into the port city, one of the few his clan wouldn't be using tonight. Lightly masking his presence with a genjutsu that would keep the average human from noticing him, he headed to a small hotel and visited one particular room.

With a few knocks on the room door and some patience, he had a squinty-eyed Jiraiya roused and waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I'm sorry for the late hour," Kenjiro said with a ghost of a smile, "but this is the only time I have."

"Well, what is it?" Jiraiya grunted, leaning against his doorframe and yawning.

"I regret to inform you that we won't be able to feed any more information to you on Uzushiogakure's actions," Kenjiro told the towering ninja.

"Oh?" the white-haired man frowned.

"It's a pity that I can't ask you to sneak back into Uzushio," Kenjiro chuckled, more to himself than to Jiraiya. "I'd love to hear about Yuuta's reaction when the sun comes up…"

* * *

Yuuta sat at the breakfast table with his son Yuuma and enjoyed the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. In a few hours his grandson Yuudai would be returning and the three of them could go over the fine details of the destruction of the Uzumaki. With Kushina's return to Konoha, their clan had the perfect opportunity to engineer their fall. All they needed was some manufactured "evidence" and perhaps a well-crafted speech and they could justify the secret Shadow raid that would be sent in beforehand to kill or capture all of the Uzumaki without any trouble.

But then Kurohi Shinobu, current master of the Shadows, slipped into the room and waited for acknowledgement.

"…Yes?" Yuuma prompted.

"Sorry to disturb you," Shinobu murmured, removing his black ceramic mask, "but I bring news from the mission to acquire writing samples."

To make convincing forgeries, examples of genuine handwriting were needed. That wasn't difficult to do for Kenjiro as he was head of his clan and signed dozens of official documents and had all sorts of writing as part of public record. But Yuuma had thought of involving Kenjiro's daughter in defaming her clan, and while the other clans would probably believe anything was her handwriting Yuuta wanted to be sure the falsified documents stood up to any scrutiny.

It was a simple but ingenious little plot. Uzushio already hated and was disgusted by Uzumaki Kushina for having an affair with a werewolf. But faked letters between her and her father that had Kenjiro _encouraging_ her to breed with the wolf to find out what the result could be would ruin the Uzumaki's reputation beyond any hope of repair. Even cowards like the Kinomoto would cheer for their destruction.

"Were your agents able to acquire any old letters or diaries?" Yuuta inquired.

"My pair of infiltrators was distracted from their mission," Shinobu admitted nervously. "When they reached the Uzumaki District…it was empty."

"Empty?" Yuuma repeated blankly.

"Explain," Yuuta demanded.

"All of the Uzumaki—they weren't there! Gone! The Uzumaki District is _deserted_." Shinobu shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I sent other Shadows to check the rest of the village and…and the Furukawa and Hoshitama Districts are empty, too."

There was dead silence for a good minute.

"_What?_" Yuuta bellowed, exploding out of his seat and jostling the table.

"How could this happen?" Yuuma demanded. "How is it that none of us _noticed_?"

"I don't know," Shinobu answered helplessly. "All I know is that all of them are gone, even the Shadows that originated from those clans. I have all my agents scouring the districts for clues and searching the country for them but I don't have any answers yet."

Yuuta collapsed back into his chair huffing and puffing and snarling and turning crimson with rage.

"Calm down Father," Yuuma said, grasping the elder fox's shoulder. "No plan ever works out perfectly. Something was bound to go wrong somewhere. There's no sense in giving yourself a heart attack over this."

With one last growl, Yuuta forced himself to follow his son's advice.

"Yes, yes, you're right, of course." The clan elder took a sip of water and several cleansing breaths. "…We can use this. It's a sign of guilt. These rogue clans are out to expose us, so a preemptive war is necessary."

"Yes, Father," Yuuma nodded with a cold smile. "That's perfect!"

"When Yuudai returns home, he'll need to be notified of the changed situation." Yuuta drank more water. "And we'll need to send him back to Orochimaru and set the date of attack for the middle of the final trial. With three Kitsune clans on the loose, we need to move as quickly as possible…"


	45. Bad Medicine

**Chapter 44**

_Bad Medicine_

Sasuke sat on a tree branch and silently counted down from one hundred. At the end of the countdown he had the exciting task of running through the training ground, avoiding whatever traps had been set, and catching Kakashi before a timer went off. And this was actually a break from the main part of his training.

Each week, Kakashi had doubled the intensity of the exercises that he assigned Sasuke, and doubled the weights he had to wear on his limbs. Sasuke had made the mistake of complaining about it exactly once. Kakashi had responded by describing the average training session that Maito Gai set his treasured pupil, Rock Lee, to and offered to talk to the taijutsu nut about letting Sasuke join them.

The ex-Uchiha never complained a second time.

As intense as the training was, it would soon be over. In just a few days, the training period would be over and it would be time for the final trial. And then, depending on his performance in the stadium, he would either become a chuunin or remain a genin.

But whatever the result, life would never go "back to normal" after the Trials concluded.

His father had disgraced himself and the clan, and his mother had moved out of the house to live in Naruto's mother's hotel room. Sasuke was now outcast and sleeping on his sensei's couch (the Hokage's wife had offered to let him move in with them, but he wasn't keen on living in the same house as the bratty Konohamaru). Naruto had gone from being an annoying clown to a victim and a potentially dangerous creature under the Hokage's protection. And Team 7's future was in limbo.

_3… 2… 1… 0._

Sasuke slipped from his tree perch and spiraled outwards from his starting point in search of his hidden sensei. If he wanted any chance of catching the jounin before the alarm went off he couldn't proceed with much caution. All he could do was hope that his search pattern wasn't too tight or too loose. He didn't worry much about the traps as his Sharingan could pick them out with plenty of time to—

Three sharp stings blossomed in his left shoulder. Sasuke stumbled and reached for the unexpected sensation…or, at least he tried to; his hand couldn't seem to raise high enough. He slowed to a stop, but not by choice; his feet weren't working right. The intense clarity of his Sharingan sight faded, even though he hadn't consciously deactivated his _kekkei genkai_.

_I…I don't feel right…_

This wasn't part of one of Kakashi-sensei's traps. Those consisted of things like wire tangles, flash grenades, and a few weak exploding tags. His jounin-sensei never used drugged needles.

Sasuke tried to run, but his toes caught on the dirt and he collapsed to the ground. He tried to call out, but he could barely make a groan and his tongue flopped uselessly inside his mouth. He went from perfectly alert and functional, to barely conscious and completely helpless in the space of less than three minutes.

_Help…_

A dark shadow fell over him. Someone crouched beside him but Sasuke couldn't think of who it was. He squinted against the darkness chewing at the edges of his vision, but all that he could make out was silver hair and light reflecting off glass.

"Relax," the mysterious figure said as the drugged senbon needles were plucked from Sasuke's shoulder. "My potion won't kill you, and when you wake up you won't remember a thing."

The stranger pulled down Sasuke's shirt collar and ran his fingers around the base of the boy's neck. He wanted to protest but he couldn't think of what to say even if he could've said it. When the person's examination was complete, Sasuke found a pill being shoved into his mouth.

"Take your medicine now, Sasuke-kun…"

* * *

As soon as he was certain that the pill had been swallowed, Kabuto made his exit.

Stalking Sasuke had not been easy. To escape Kakashi's detection he'd had to alter his scent, employ his best stealth, and arrange for a distraction. And then he had had to worry about avoiding the genin's Sharingan and preserving the vital element of surprise.

But he had done it, and Orochimaru's pill had reached its target.

The silver-haired spy did his best to follow the exact same route out of the training field as he'd taken in. When he reached the edge of the village he made a beeline for the nearest stream. Ducking under a bridge, he swapped the black ninja suit he'd been wearing for a recently purchased civilian outfit, and then headed for a busy market place, walking on top of the surface of the water for as long as he could to further obscure his false scent. After a little mingling in the heavy afternoon crowd, he relaxed the jutsu that was masking his scent and he went about running a few errands as if nothing had happened, even as a handful of demon dogs arrived in the area, sniffing around furiously.

_How unfortunate that the curse mark is sealed,_ he thought as he checked the ripeness of some oranges. _That will make things much more complicated. I might have to sacrifice my anonymity to make it work…_

Kabuto adjusted his round glasses and sighed before moving on to examine the shop's selection of apples.

_If it does come to that,_ he mused, seeking a silver lining to the situation,_ it might be nice to not have to hide my competency anymore._

* * *

Kakashi had started to pull out his beloved book after setting up the traps and selecting his hiding place when he had a bad feeling. Leaving his book safely inside his weapon pouch, the jounin put his senses on full alert. Paying attention to "bad feelings" had saved his life just as often as his skills and knowledge had.

_Sasuke should be getting on the move any second now—_

"My apologies, but is this field currently in use?"

The jounin narrowed his eye and turned to find Dosu, the lone progressing Oto-genin, and his sickly sensei approaching him. The senior Oto-nin, Kimimaro, was really looking awful. The young adult was horribly pale with shadows forming under his eyes and his breathing sounded uneven.

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "This field is currently in use. If you wish to train, I advise that you find a different one."

"Perhaps I read the schedules for the fields incorrectly," Kimimaro replied.

"This is field 14, isn't it?" the heavily bandaged Dosu grunted. "The board said that it wasn't reserved."

"This is indeed field 14; however, if the board says that it is open, there must be some mistake," Kakashi informed the Oto-genin.

"But—"

"Enough, Dosu," Kimimaro said. "This field is taken. We will find another." The pale young man's dull eyes drifted back to Kakashi's masked face. "Our apologies for disturbing you."

The Oto-nin bowed and turned to depart, only to fall to one knee as a violent coughing fit struck him. Dosu watched him, concerned but trying not to show it. Kakashi frowned behind his mask as the foreign ninja continued to cough for several minutes.

"…Have you seen a doctor about that cough?" he asked when Kimimaro finally started to quiet down. "It sounds unpleasant."

"Yes," Kimimaro wheezed, slowly staggering to his feet. "I have sought treatment. Thank you for your concern. Come, Dosu, let us be on our way."

Kakashi watched the pair walk off until they were out of sight. Alone again, the jounin stretched out his senses to locate his student—

_RIIIING!_

"Time's up," Kakashi muttered to the empty air as he went to collect his timer clock.

Something was wrong. Sasuke should've at least been close by when the alarm had gone off, and yet he was nowhere to be seen. Kakashi couldn't hear or smell him, either.

Something was very wrong.

The silver-haired jounin immediately went into search mode. With every step that he took and failed to find any sign of his student, the tension rose. He jogged straight for the tree where he'd left Sasuke to start the exercise, mindful of the few traps he'd set…

Sasuke hadn't even made it ten feet from the starting point.

The ex-Uchiha lay crumpled on his side, eyes closed, and thoroughly unconscious. The boy was still breathing, but it was ragged and shallow. When Kakashi touched the boy's skin, it was on fire with fever.

_This isn't right,_ Kakashi knew. _He was perfectly healthy ten minutes ago. No virus hits this hard this fast._

Slicing open a finger with a kunai, Kakashi used the blood to summon his entire pack of lesser demon tracking dogs.

"Yo," Pakkun the deep-voiced pug glumly greeted with an upraised paw. "What's up, Kakashi?"

"Search the area and follow any suspicious scents," the jounin commanded, gathering his student up in his arms. "Let me know what you find. I'll be at the hospital."

"Got it," Pakkun nodded.

The dog pack sniffed at the spot where Sasuke had fallen and then split off in different directions to examine the entire training field.

Kakashi didn't wait around to observe his Summons work. He had full confidence in their abilities. Sasuke needed medical attention immediately.

_As soon as Sasuke is in the doctor's hands,_ he thought as he sprinted towards the hospital with the boy slung over his shoulder, _I'll be back to find out who did this…_

* * *

Kushina strolled through a clothing shop that catered to kunoichi and browsed the racks. She'd only brought the bare essentials with her to Konoha to leave room for the keepsakes she'd brought along for Naruto, and to keep her pack light to make the journey easier and faster. And her wardrobe had been gloomy ever since she'd had to give Naruto up, full of grays, dark blues, and blacks. Now that she was in a much better general mood, she felt it was time to bring brighter, happier colors back into the mix.

She found a violet top in the style that she favored. Basically it was a very short kimono. In her younger days she similar clothing as a dress with black bike shorts to protect her modesty, but her more mature self wore pants and more sensible sandals than the knee-length open-toed boots of her early teens. Rubbing her fingers over the durable fabric, she studied the shade of purple and internally debated on whether she should go try it on or not.

_It's a sleepy color… But it might make my eyes look less gray and more blue. Hmm, decisions, decisions…_

Shopping—especially clothes shopping—was not her favorite thing to do. But it was a necessary evil. And when she shopped for someone else it was almost fun (her most precious memories were of Minato's face when he'd open his birthday present from her and find a couple pairs of lightning bolt-print shorts…yet again).

Between her weekend visits to Naruto's remote training spot, she'd hunted down new outfits for him. At first it had just been because she'd wanted to get him things besides weapons and fast food, she missed dressing him up, and she'd seen a few things in shop windows that she'd been sure he'd look nice in. But after she'd gotten a good look at his current clothing after her first visit to the mountains, she was determined to replace every worn-to-death shirt and patched pair of pants so that he didn't look homeless and ridiculous anymore.

_It's too bad he was so against the idea of burning that ugly bright orange thing he called his 'uniform',_ she thought as she plucked the violet top from the rack and moved on to another. _I have nothing against the color orange, but that thing… Urgh, it was so ugly! At least he agreed that his last orange suit didn't fit right anymore and was too beat up to use._

The obnoxiously orange outfit was glaring proof of how terrible a guardian the chuunin Mizuki had been. As an experienced chuunin, he should've nixed the clothing before Naruto had a chance to get attached to it as it provided no camouflage and actually attracted attention, a very bad thing in their line of work. Yet Mizuki had said nothing and had probably not even noticed, and his total neglect had done nothing to help Naruto catch up to his peers in school. And then the creep had turned around and tried to use Naruto for his own criminal ends, playing on her son's desperation to graduate with kids his own age and get access to more advanced training.

_At least Iruka was a better fosterer. It's a pity he only had Naruto for around six months. If Naruto had gone straight to him instead of landing in Mizuki's hands…well, his grades would be a tiny bit better._

He also probably would've been found out sooner. Perhaps things would've turned out better for him, or worse. And Naruto might never have met Minato out in the woods as a wolf, or maybe Minato could've been found sooner and healed…or killed.

_Bah!_ She shook her head and scrutinized a pale yellow top. _Enough "what if's"! I'll drive myself crazy worrying about all those scenarios…_

For better or for worse, the past was all set in stone and all that changed was how it was looked at.

Snagging a yellow top and a similar one in mint green she headed back to the changing rooms at the back of the store. Modeling each one in front of a mirror with a pair of black capri pants she picked up earlier in her perusal, she rejected the green one and decided to keep the violet and the pale yellow. Putting back on the civilian clothing she'd been wearing, she left the changing rooms to return the discarded top and make sure she hadn't overlooked anything else she might want in the store before making her purchase.

_It's too bad I can't have Minato here,_ she pouted as she examined a selection of _obi_ belts. _I'd love to get his feedback… And it's fun to tease him._

Her mouth curled into a mischievous little smirk as she imagined exactly how she would "tease him" if he was present. She would saunter as she showed off potential outfits to him, and wink at him, and maybe she would pull him into the changing stall with her—

"Good afternoon."

Kushina's smirk twisted and vanished at the stiff greeting and she turned to regard Iruka with a raised eyebrow.

"This is a store for kunoichi," she told the chuunin. "What, do you cross-dress on the weekends or something?"

"No," Iruka snapped. "I caught sight of you from the street through the window. Your hair is very noticeable."

"Yes, it is," Kushina sighed. "Aren't you supposed to be in school teaching tots how to be ninjas?"

"I'm on my way back from lunch," he answered tersely.

"…And you want to hear about Naruto," she added for him.

It was Monday and she'd returned from the wilds just that morning. Iruka knew that she'd been with Naruto. As a favor to him she made the effort to keep him updated on Naruto's status and pass along his greetings to her son. If only he could make himself friendlier it wouldn't be such a chore for her, but he seemed bound and determined to believe that she was some shallow bitch who cast aside her son when he became inconvenient for her and returned under suspicious circumstances.

"Yes," he said.

At his confirmation, she took her things to the register to buy them. Dealing with him always left a sour taste in her mouth and she wanted to do something other than shop to clean her palette once he was gone. While she was paying, he hovered off the side, and then he followed her out of the store.

"Everything's going well," she told him. "Naruto's perfectly healthy and progressing very well in his training. He'll be returned to Konoha the day before the finals so that he can rest and be ready to head to the stadium first thing the next morning."

"Will I get to see him?" Iruka asked.

"Sure," she muttered. "If he wants to see you, there's no reason why he can't."

"Well—"

A scruffy dog with a blue vest and shades on trotted past them, sniffing very intently at the pavement and thoroughly distracting Kushina.

"Hey, you're one of Kakashi's dogs, right? What's up?"

"Yep," the dog said, pausing briefly. "Someone attacked Sasuke and we're trying to track the creep down while Kakashi gets him to the hospital."

A chill washed over her skin and down her spine.

"Can I help?"

"No, this guy is good," the dog snorted. "He knows all the best ways to obscure his scent. We're all out looking but I don't think we'll find 'im."

"Darn," Kushina hissed, grateful that the dog hadn't thought much of her offer to help (only Inuzuka were any real talent at scent tracking). "I'll let his mother know. Good luck."

The Summon nodded to her and went back to sniffing.

Kushina turned away with shopping bag in hand, heading for her hotel room and completely forgetting about little chuunin Iruka. Mikoto had moved in with her the day after Fugaku had returned home. Without a household to manage anymore, the Uchiha found herself at loose ends and spent most of her time reading library books, watching television, and training when Kushina invited her to.

_Poor Mikoto…she just can't catch a break._

* * *

Mikoto sat hunched over in a plastic chair by her son's hospital bedside. He'd been unconscious since yesterday, wracked by fevers, and at one point in the middle of the night his heart had raced so hard the doctors had almost shocked him to restore a normal rhythm. Now he looked much more peaceful and the fevers were gone…but he was still asleep.

Kushina not only let her know about Sasuke being in the hospital, her old friend brought her dinner, breakfast, and most recently lunch so that she didn't have to leave her son's side to get food. Kakashi had visited twice to check on Sasuke's condition and keep her apprised of his investigation, which regrettably was going nowhere fast. Itachi had managed one visit after hearing about it from Kakashi. And Sasuke's teammate, Sakura, along with Inoichi's daughter, had visited several times together and separately.

Fugaku hadn't come. She would've been surprised if he had, even if he wasn't informally restricted to the Uchiha District. But his very clear absence still hurt her keenly. Sasuke looked up to his father so much—

Her sharp eyes caught sight of a twitch of Sasuke's fingers. She watched his hand with bated breath, tense for any further movement. When his hand curled into a fist, she grabbed it tightly, hoping that it wasn't another false alarm.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, are you awake? Can you hear me?"

He didn't react at first, but then his fist relaxed and one of his eyes squinted open.

"Wh…where…?"

"You're in the hospital, Sasuke," Mikoto informed him, stroking his hand and fighting back the sting of relieved tears.

"Th' hospital?" he mumbled hoarsely, slowly turning his head to look at her face.

"Yes, the hospital," she nodded. "Someone attacked you during your training session yesterday."

"What?" he blinked. "Really?"

"Yes… You don't remember?"

Her son mutely shook his head.

"Well…how are you feeling?"

"…Sore," he answered after a moment's thought. "And hungry."

"You've been unconscious for over twenty-four hours," she said with a weak smile. "Of course you're hungry."

"Twenty-four hours?" Sasuke frowned worriedly.

"Relax, I'll go get the doctor to check on you and something for you to eat," she told him, gently stroking his cheek.

Mikoto hurried out into the hall in search of a nurse or a doctor, torn between deep relief and prickly worry. She was relieved that her son was awake and seemingly no worse for the wear. But she was concerned that he had no memory of being assaulted.

_Kakashi wasn't able to track down the culprit, so if Sasuke can't remember who hurt him, he'll get off scot free…_

* * *

The doctor—a middle-aged, brown-haired, and rather unremarkable-looking man—studied his patient's file one last time before regarding that patient's loved ones. The boy's mother looked tired and her fingers were fidgeting, although she tried to hide it. The patient's older brother stood solemnly at his mother's side, his face blank but there were hints of tension in the tightness around his dark eyes. And the group was rounded out with the boy's silver-haired jounin teacher and a red-haired kunoichi who supported the boy's mother and was probably an old friend.

After looking at each person present, the doctor smiled warmly.

"Young Sasuke is a lucky boy, Mrs. Uchiha," he said. "It seems that he's pulled through with no ill effects. He'll be discharged from the hospital within the hour."

"That's wonderful, but what was wrong with him?" the dark-haired woman asked.

"From what we can tell, he was suffering from an overdose of an unknown drug." The doctor snapped the file shut and tucked it under his arm. "Thankfully Sasuke is a young and healthy boy. If he had been suffering from an infection or had been recovering from an injury he might not have made it."

"An overdose of a drug?" the jounin sensei inquired. "What drug?"

"A cocktail we haven't seen before. It had already broken down a great deal before we were able to get samples and properly analyze them. As for why he was drugged…" The doctor shrugged helplessly. "A failed abduction attempt, perhaps? I'm no ninja, I'm just a doctor."

"Will he be able to participate in the Finals or will he have to withdraw?" Sasuke's elder brother asked.

"All his tests are coming back normal. If he suffers any sort of symptoms like fainting spells or pain, bring him back immediately. But if he feels up to it I don't see why he should have to withdraw from the competition." The doctor smiled at the group again. "I wish him the best this coming Friday."

"Thank you, Doctor," Mrs. Uchiha said with misty eyes and she gripped his hand in gratitude.

"You're very welcome," he beamed. "Now are there any other questions? I have a few other patients I need to see to."

When there were no more questions, he bade them farewell and strolled down the hallway to see to his other patients. Once he had made his rounds, he started complaining to a few nurses that he was starting feel a bit under the weather. Within the hour, he excused himself from duty early with many apologies, leaving his remaining patients for the other doctors to manage. On his way home to nurse what he feared to colleagues would be a nasty flu, he allowed himself a small smirk.

It was very fortunate for him that people trusted doctors so implicitly. With the right white lab coat, the friendly mannerisms, and the proper face, no one had doubted that he was who he claimed to be. He had all the proper knowledge of medicine, hospital procedures, and he was good with names.

Not a soul had suspected that he wasn't who he appeared to be. The Uchiha had never thought to use their Sharingan to make sure that he wasn't using a _henge_. None of the hospital staff challenged his identity.

And if his luck held, no one would come to call on the flu-stricken doctor until after the Trials and discover that he had been dead since Monday night.

_Sasuke will be in the Trials, just were Orochimaru-sama needs him…_


	46. Party!

**Chapter 45**

_Party!_

Thursday morning dawned bright and clear. Naruto rolled out of bed as soon as the first sunbeam entered his window and staggered towards breakfast, half-asleep. He inhaled whatever was set in front of him and then visited the cabin's crude little bathroom to brush his teeth and shower. The icy water (it was always cold as there was no water heater) completely woke him up and he raced off to dress and then head for the porch to wait for his training to start.

It had become his morning routine ever since being brought out to the remote mountain cabin. He would get up as early as he could, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, train, eat dinner, and then train into the night, sometimes until he dropped. On weekends, the break times for eating and resting were a bit longer as he was spending time with his mother, but the training she put him through was just as intense, if not more so, than what he endured on weekdays.

When Naruto skidded out onto the porch, he found his trainer dressed in ANBU gear (minus the mask) instead of his jounin uniform, which he had been wearing since coming out to the cabin.

"What's up?" he asked, tilting his head. "Is training going to be super hard today?"

"No," his father chuckled. "No training today."

Naruto blinked a couple of times.

"The Finals are tomorrow," the ANBU explained. "And the best way to prepare isn't to tire yourself out, but to relax and gather your strength. So once you pack up your things, I'll be taking you back to Konoha."

The boy's mouth went dry. The last few weeks, all he'd focused on was making through the day's training. There was no future, only the present. Now the distant future was suddenly not distant.

Tomorrow he would be pitted against a batch of real live demons in front of the whole village.

"Do you think I'm ready for the finals?"

The man looked a bit surprised by the question, but he answered with a warm smile.

"Yes. You're certainly more prepared for the arena than when I first brought you out here. Just focus on doing your best and be careful. It's just a test, nothing worth getting yourself seriously hurt over." His gloved hand ruffled Naruto's hair and then gave him a gentle shove back towards the interior of the cabin. "Now pack your things so we can get back to the village."

"Okay," Naruto muttered as he fixed his hair and went to do as he was told.

He should be excited. The long days of arduous training were over. He was going back to Konoha where he would be with his mother again. It should be great.

Yet what he mostly felt was a vague sense of dread.

* * *

"No training today?" Sasuke frowned from his seat on Kakashi's couch (which also served as his bed).

"Nope," the masked jounin confirmed. "Check your weapons and supplies, and relax. There's no sense in wearing you out the day before the Finals."

"But shouldn't I make up for those lost days—"

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said as he oiled and polished an odd short sword that Sasuke had seen displayed in the jounin's apartment, but never used. "You don't have to worry about missing a few days. I'm sure you'll place well."

"Even though I'm at a disadvantage compared to other genin who didn't miss any training time?"

Kakashi lifted his eye from the blade that he was polishing and stared at Sasuke from across the room for a minute.

"Relax," he advised. "It was only a few days. It's not like you're in Naruto's position."

Sasuke flinched. His teammate would've been the clear underdog even if his father hadn't gone and stabbed him because of how late he'd transferred into the Academy and how weak his ninja background was. But Naruto had been stabbed and seriously hurt and there was no telling how many days of training he'd missed because, aside from Hinata's mysterious encounter, no one but the blond's mother had seen him since the attack.

"…Naruto's still going to participate in the Finals?" the ex-Uchiha asked.

"I haven't heard anything about him withdrawing," Kakashi shrugged and returned his gaze to his polishing. "So it seems that he's still set to compete."

"Oh…"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably on the couch before pulling his weapon pouch out from under the furniture and checking his supplies as his sensei had suggested.

He wasn't sure why he was so worried about how he would perform. It wasn't like he had a clan's reputation to uphold or a father to impress anymore. The only people left in his life that he really cared about doing well for were his mother and brother, and they would be happy no matter how he did so long as he came out alive.

Considering what had happened earlier in the week, he should probably feel lucky that he was still able to participate in the Finals. He still couldn't remember who had attacked him or why, but he'd recovered quickly and felt fine. Aside from eating up a few days of training time, the whole incident didn't seem to have any serious consequences.

Just as Sasuke finished checking his weapons inventory, there was a knock at the apartment door. His sensei set aside his short sword and cautiously walked over to see who it was. But there was no visitor, only a folded piece of paper that had been slipped under the door.

"Hmm…" The jounin skimmed the message and his visible eye crinkled, indicating a smile. "It seems that the Yamanakas and Akimichis are hosting an informal pre-Finals party this evening. They're celebrating Shikamaru's advancement to the last trial, and all finalists and friends of finalists are welcome to come." Kakashi glanced up from the note to regard his student. "Are you going to go?"

Ino would be there as her clan was one of the hosts and her teammate, Shikamaru, was one of the guests of honor. Sakura would probably also be there as he and Naruto were both finalists. And when they were together and he was nearby the fights they would get into over him…

"No," Sasuke decided with a shudder. "No way."

* * *

Naruto dumped his bags beside his mattress back in Mangetsu's rather barren house in Konoha and dusted his hands in satisfaction. There were no dresser drawers to fill or hangers in the closet so he really couldn't unpack a lot of his things. All he really could do was put his toothbrush and shampoo in the bathroom, and he could do that later.

His mother would be over any minute and he wasn't about to waste time trying to figure out what to do with his possessions.

He'd already changed clothes in preparation for his return from the mountains. For training he'd initially dressed in a torn pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt that was on its last legs. But now that he was relaxing for the day, he'd dressed nicer in one of the new outfits his mother had bought for him—long khaki shorts, an orange and black T-shirt, and a dark blue hooded jacket over it.

Bounding down the stairs, Naruto almost collided with a wall in his haste.

"Is she here yet?" he asked the masked ANBU leaning against the kitchen countertop.

"No," Mangetsu said, fingering the wolf mask hanging from his belt. "There's no need to rush. There is still ten minutes before she's due to arrive."

"Yeah, well I didn't want to be late," Naruto shrugged, taking a seat at the table. "…So are there any plans for today?"

"I don't know," the ANBU replied. "You'll have to ask your mother when she gets here. I need to go check in with the Hokage and find out about my next assignment."

"Your next assignment?" Naruto repeated.

"Your training for the Finals is complete," his father shrugged. "I might be assigned to shadow you and act as protection for a while longer, I might be ordered to do something else. The Trials are a security nightmare and ANBU is always busy, even during quiet years."

"Oh," Naruto muttered in dismay. "So…you might not get to watch me in the arena?"

"I might not," he nodded. "But your mother will definitely be there, and if I miss watching it, she'll tell me all about it."

"Okay," the genin agreed, slumping lower in his chair.

Training had been hard and frustrating, especially in the first few days. But he knew that he'd improved his skills so all the suffering had been well worth it. He'd sort of looked forward to showing off his new strength to his trainer and getting his feedback on his performance.

_At least Mom will see me fight for sure,_ he thought as he traced circles on the tabletop with his index finger. _She helped train me too, even if most of it is stuff I probably shouldn't use in public yet…_

Still a sense of disappointment lingered.

As much as he hated to admit it (and he still hadn't done so out loud), his father wasn't a bad guy. He was just as good a teacher as Kakashi or Jiraiya was; in some ways he was better because he was a werewolf. And he took very good care of Naruto—he always made sure he'd eaten enough, had enough water, and the handful of times the boy had collapsed from exhaustion he'd always woken up in his bed safe and sound.

"Ah, she's here."

Naruto jerked his head up from the invisible patterns he'd been doodling with his finger to see Mangetsu heading for the backdoor. A minute later he returned with Naruto's mother almost stepping on his heels. As soon as she caught sight of Naruto she grinned wildly and gave him a brief but smothering hug.

"You're finally wearing some new clothes!" she beamed.

"I didn't wear them before because I didn't want to ruin them," Naruto huffed.

"Well, let's go show them off," his mother suggested, nodding towards the back door. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

"And go where?" the boy asked.

"Anywhere you want," she shrugged. "I was thinking of visiting Ichiraku's for lunch, but that's still a few hours off."

"Okay," Naruto hesitantly agreed, still feeling a bit uneasy about wandering the village streets.

He slid off his chair and shadowed his mother to the exit. She got some information on how to work the security seals laid into the door from his father and then gave his father a kiss goodbye, which Naruto did his best to ignore. After that, the man flashed Naruto a smile and slipped the wolf mask over his face.

"Have fun," the ANBU-nin said with a wave. "But not too much fun."

And then he vanished into thin air as if he'd never been there.

"…Okay," Naruto sighed as his shoulders slumped.

"Why the gloomy face?" his mother asked with an arched eyebrow. "You miss daddy already?"

"That's not it at all!" the genin denied hotly, which just made his mother laugh.

"Well, that's one of the downsides to being a ninja," she told him. "The call of duty can put a serious crimp into time with friends and family." She clasped a hand to his shoulder and steered him out into the badly overgrown backyard. "Now let's go have some fun! …But not too much fun."

* * *

Naruto's first thought upon his arrival was that this had not been a good idea.

_"Hey, isn't that…?"_

_ "It is."_

_ "Didn't he die?"_

_ "What's he doing here?"_

_ "Is it…safe?"_

The day had gone pretty well up to now. Naruto had followed his mother around to some of her favorite spots in Konoha, they had lunch at Ichiraku's, and dinner at a barbeque restaurant that he was pretty sure that Chouji loved as the name had sounded familiar. But then as the sun was going down they ran across Iruka-sensei.

He really didn't see why his mother and Iruka-sensei didn't get along. Surely his mother had been in the village long enough by now for Iruka-sensei to see that she wasn't a bad person like he seemed to think that she had been at first. And surely Iruka-sensei would've relaxed by now and let his mother see that the chuunin could be a friendly guy. But still when they crossed paths there was palpable tension between the two adults that left Naruto baffled.

The genin tried to strike up conversations with them, but every attempt sputtered out swiftly. He was about ready to give up for the time being and ask his mother if they could go somewhere else when his Academy sensei mentioned that he was on his way to a party the Yamanakas were throwing so that he could congratulate old students. His mother got all excited when she heard that and wanted to know where the party was. She wanted to meet more of his friends, see old friends of hers, and parties were always fun.

Not giving it much thought, Naruto agreed that it sounded like fun and he wanted to go, but the moment he arrived at the crowded yard someone noticed him, and then it was like everyone was staring at him.

_Crap,_ he cringed and fought the impulse to duck into his mother's shadow. _Crap! Coming here was a terrible idea!_

What if some Uchiha were here?

They would come after him and the party would be ruined—

"What's all the staring and whispering for?" his mother demanded to the dozens of anxiously watching faces. "For the last time, I didn't spike the punch that year! I got wasted along with everyone else. If I was the spiker, I would've stayed sober to watch all the fun."

"What?" Iruka-sensei scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"Hey, Uzumaki!" a boisterous woman's voice called out. "Come to crash the party?"

"You're only a party crasher when you're uninvited, Inuzuka!" his mother shouted back.

The cluster of stare-ers parted to reveal a fierce-looking woman with short brown hair and the red triangle facial tattoos of the Inuzuka clan. At her heels was an equally fierce-looking large dog with black and gray fur, a torn ear, and an eye patch. The feral pair walked up to his mother, with only the wolfish looking dog paying Naruto any attention.

"If you're not a crasher, who are you here for?" the Inuzuka woman asked. Her dark eyes slid left towards Iruka. "You here with him?"

"No!" his mother snorted and dropped her hand on top of the blond boy's head. "This is my date."

"Hmm," the Inuzuka grunted and glanced down at him. "…Ah, it's you. Kiba's still smarting a bit over his loss."

"…Hi, Kiba's mom," Naruto hesitantly greeted, trying not to squirm.

"You smell odd," the dark-furred dog remarked, and Naruto felt a spike of jealousy that it could talk fine and he couldn't when he got furry.

"I shouldn't smell funny," Naruto argued. "I took a shower this morning."

Kiba's mother let out a short bark of laughter and grinned down at him.

"You knocked that nasty sludge out of my kid and probably saved him a lot of pain." She tossed her head, indicating that he should proceed further into the party. "Go have some fun. I have some catching up to do with Red here."

Naruto skirted around Kiba's mother and her dog and ventured onto the lawn. It was a wide grassy area dotted with a few picnic tables and clusters of people. Along the side of the house was a line of tables weighed down with all kinds of snack foods and drinks. The party guests widely ranged in age from the young chuunin hopefuls and some younger siblings, to their parents and a couple of old folk who could've been grandparents. Most of them looked like Konoha citizens, but one knot of people seemed to be from Taki.

Even though he'd eaten dinner, he had some room for dessert and there looked to be a tasty variety of cookies and sweets on the snack table. Naruto hesitated, and then scampered for the sweets, aiming to grab what he wanted and then retreat to a shadowy spot under some trees where he would hopefully avoid notice. Attention was something he usually didn't mind (a lot of times he even craved it), but after the stares and with all the crazy things that had happened before he left to train he felt like standing back from any sort of spotlight.

_Chocolate chip cookie, you are mine—_

"Hey, Naruto."

He paused, hand halfway to his intended cookie target, and looked over to see Chouji with a little plate heaping with all sorts of goodies, and a thing or two still in his mouth.

"Hey, Chouji…" Naruto said slowly.

"You okay?" the chubby genin asked around his current mouthful. "There have been all sorts of crazy rumors…"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Naruto nodded and snagged the cookie.

"Good," Chouji smiled and put his full focus on consuming what he'd put on his small plate.

Naruto grabbed a few other cookies, a brownie, and a cup of punch and was about to quiet, out-of-the-way corner when he almost crashed into Kiba with Akamaru perched on his head.

"…Hi," the whiskered genin greeted cautiously, unsure of what to expect as he had knocked Kiba out the competition.

"Hey," Kiba grunted sourly.

_"(Hi, Naruto!)"_ Akamaru cheerfully yipped from his perch.

"Thanks for knocking that icky black stuff out of me, I guess," the Inuzuka boy grumbled, looking off to the side in discomfort. "And thanks for sticking up for Hinata. But after the Trials are over, I want a rematch." Now he met Naruto's gaze squarely. "I wasn't in my right mind in our match, and I didn't fight with Akamaru—it's like I wasn't fight with my right hand! I want to fight again and I want it to be a real fight."

"Sure," Naruto grinned. "And I'll kick your butt again!" _I'm way better than I was when I beat you the first time!_

"Sure you will," Kiba scoffed. "And I love cats."

Naruto glared. _Kiba and his thing against cats…grr._

"Naruto!"

Turning to the new voice, he was a bit taken aback to see Sakura hurrying over to him like she was genuinely happy to see him, which was incredibly weird. He managed to smile, though. But when he noticed Ino looked just as pleased to see him, he really got confused.

_What, is Sasuke hiding under the table next to me or something?_

The pair of girls converged on him, unwittingly forming a sloppy half-circle with Kiba and Akamaru and Chouji which trapped Naruto against a section of the snack table.

"You made it," Sakura smiled, sounding relieved. "No one knew where you were so I didn't think you'd get an invitation."

"I followed Iruka-sensei here," Naruto shrugged and bit into one of his cookies.

"Excellent!" Ino grinned, an odd glint in her blue eyes. "Now that you're here, you can set some things straight."

Naruto stopped chewing. _Eh?_

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, having appeared at Chouji's side and tightening the half-circle.

"Can't you let him eat, Ino?" Chouji asked.

"Now, Naruto," Ino said, ignoring Chouji's plea. "Are you or are you not a werewolf?"

He swallowed hard, the cookie suddenly not very tasty.

"Yeah…can we not talk about this now?"

"Why is there any doubt?" Kiba snorted. "My mom said that he was, so he is."

Naruto felt himself start to sweat. _I'm really not liking this party…_

"But Hinata saw some things that don't make any sense, so I'm going to the source," Ino argued.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba frowned. "Hinata never told us about seeing anything. Why would she tell you and not me or Shino?"

"Forehead and I happened upon her shortly after she saw it," Ino said haughtily.

"Ino-pig," Sakura grumbled.

"We caught her before she could get help from her sensei," the Yamanaka continued. "Your sensei must've told her not to blab about it."

"Well what did she see, then?" the Inuzuka boy demanded.

_I really want to get out of here now,_ Naruto gulped, looking for an escape but not seeing one.

"She said that he—"

"Hello students," Iruka-sensei greeted, interrupted whatever Ino had been about to say.

The whole group turned and said hello back, trained from their years of schooling.

"Shikamaru, congratulations on advancing to the Finals," the chuunin smiled. "And the rest of you: I'm sure that you did well and you'll do much better next year—"

Naruto spied a gap between Kiba and Shikamaru and slipped through it without hesitation. He'd already gotten plenty of congratulations from Iruka-sensei before ever arriving at the party so he wasn't going to miss anything. Escape from the cluster of old classmates and their very uncomfortable conversation was all that he focused on.

Free of the claustrophobic group by the snacks, Naruto felt better able to breathe and went about finding a quiet spot to enjoy his dessert. He ducked under a clump of trees where it was much darker as the leaves blocked the illumination from the lamps and torches that lit the evening. He thought he'd be alone there, but he wasn't.

Leaning up against one of the tree trunks was Kakashi-sensei, somehow reading his beloved book in the poor light. And sitting near his feet was Sasuke, nibbling on some little crunchy appetizers that were topped with vegetables. The blond hesitated before slinking up his silver-haired sensei, hoping for some protection if he was noticed again.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Hello, Naruto," the jounin smiled, peering over the orange cover of his book. "It's nice to see you again. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Naruto replied, feeling relaxed enough to finish the cookie that he'd started eating.

"Good," Kakashi nodded and went back to reading…or pretending to read, or whatever he was really doing.

There was a short stretch of silence while Naruto consumed a few cookies and sipped at his punch (careful to sniff at it beforehand to make sure that it wasn't spiked with anything).

"Sasuke, you okay?" Naruto asked, recalling what his mother had told him about what had happened only a few days ago.

"Yeah," Sasuke grunted, sounding supremely annoyed.

"Cool." The blond nibbled on the brownie and glanced down at his teammate's snacks. "What are you eating?"

"Things with tomato in them," Sasuke muttered tersely.

"No cookies?" the whiskered boy asked.

"I don't like sweet things," the dark-haired boy responded.

"…There's something wrong with you," Naruto decided.

"Hn."

Both boys felt silent, chewing on their food while their teacher stood between them. Naruto watched as Sakura and Ino dissolved into some kind of argument, Kiba took Akamaru to go bother Shino, and Chouji and Shikamaru remained by the snacks. Relief seeped over him and he sighed deeply as he slipped off the hook…at least for the time being.

"Why are you talking to me?" Sasuke asked suddenly. "I should be the last person you want to be around…considering what happened."

"You're a jerk, but your dad is a million times worse," Naruto shrugged and crushed his empty plastic punch cup. "He stabbed me, you didn't. You're my teammate and a bunch of bad stuff's happened to you, too. So…" He shrugged again. _Should I not be talking to you?_

Sasuke, the ex-Uchiha, said nothing in response.

Puzzled, Naruto went back to watching the party-goers milling about and chatting with each other. He hadn't thought much about whether or not he should avoid Sasuke. The guy was on his team and now he wasn't part of the clan that was out for his blood so it didn't seem that he had much reason to.

_Sure, he was a nosy jerk before, but he wasn't there. He didn't do any stabbing. He probably didn't have anything to do with it. Certainly not any more 'cause he's not an Uchiha and—_

_ —Hey, is that Hinata?_

There was a small decorative lawn fountain thing several yards away from where he was and, sure enough, Hinata was standing near it. Her bully cousin was there, too, and a younger girl with the same sort of eyes the older Hyuugas both had. It looked like Hinata was trying to talk to Neji, but he was just staring down at her like she was an irritating insect and the little Hyuuga was watching both of them with either mild annoyance or complete disinterest.

_…I need to apologize._

She totally hadn't deserved being a victim of the freak-out he'd had before the last full moon. He'd almost hurt her, and over something that hadn't really been a big deal. His father had theorized over lunch one day that perhaps all the stress he'd been under from being almost assassinated had multiplied his shock, overwhelmed him, and led him to overreact the way that he'd had. Naruto wasn't sure if that made sense or not, but that didn't change the fact that he needed to say he was sorry for scaring her and almost clawing her.

So he made a slight detour to throw out his crushed cup and then approached the white-eyed trio.

"…don't see why you are speaking to me," Neji was saying to Hinata, who looked like she was trying to shrink down into nothingness. "Do you think that empty flattery will somehow erase the past? Such efforts are wasteful and pointless."

"B-but N-Neji-nii-san, I-I really do h-hope that you will do w-well in the Finals," Hinata protested feebly. "I m-mean it."

Neji stared at her coldly and Hinata wilted further.

"Hey, you," Naruto snapped. "Leave her alone. If she says she means it, she means it."

The older boy turned his frosty gaze disdainfully to the whiskered genin, his white eyes so flat they looked dead.

"Your fate is a dark one," Neji commented. "It can only have one conclusion…werewolf."

"Are you really a werewolf?" the smallest Hyuuga asked dubiously.

"You sound like an Uchiha, Neji," Naruto retorted, ignoring the little girl's question.

"I am no Uchiha," Neji replied tautly, his stoic expression tightening slightly in anger. "I am merely pointing out fact. You are a werewolf and your fate is to die."

"Everybody dies someday," Naruto shot back with a scowl. "What I am doesn't change that."

"It determines the manner in which you will die," Neji countered coolly. "You will die young and at a hunter's hand…that is, if your curse does not consume you. I don't see why you are seeking to become a chuunin. No one will ever trust you, the Uchiha will always be ready to slay you, and the moon will one day be your undoing. Your fate is inescapable."

"Shut up!" Naruto snarled, curling his fingers into fists. "I don't believe in fate! I'll find my own future! And after I give Kiba his rematch, I'll kick your ass, _dattebayo_!"

"Is something wrong?" his mother asked, intruding on the scene.

"Neji's being a jerk!" Naruto explained, narrowing his eyes at the boy who was giving his mother an icy look.

"Neji…" The red-haired woman frowned and tilted her head as she studied the Hyuuga boy, and then her face split into a smile. "Oh, I remember you! You were the cutest little baby. You'd always look so solemn, but if anyone made a funny face you'd smile and giggle and it was just so adorable!"

Naruto blinked, "Neji…really?" When his mother nodded emphatically, he started to snigger.

White eyes flashing, Neji stormed off without another word.

"Who are you?" the smaller girl asked, eyeing Naruto's mother curiously.

"I'm Uzumaki Kushina," the woman replied. "Who might you be?"

"Hyuuga Hanabi," the little girl answered. "How do you know what Neji-nii-san was like as a baby? I've never seen you or heard of you before."

"Well, years ago, I used to live around here and…"

Seeing that his mother was now ensnared in a conversation with this third Hyuuga, Naruto grabbed Hinata's arm and towed her around to the other side of the fountain so that he could apologize properly, and without his mother watching and maybe trying to help him.

"Hey, Hinata…about that thing a couple of weeks ago…" He rubbed at the back of his head, and then sketched an awkward bow. "I'm really sorry for scaring you. I was totally out of line with…that."

"It-it's alright," she murmured, fidgeting with her index fingers. "Are…are you feeling better n-now?"

"Yeah, I'm all better," he cheerfully informed her.

"And you're s-still in the Finals?"

"Yep," he nodded, swallowing as his throat went a bit dry.

"Th-then…then I w-wish you the best," the timid girl stuttered. "That you s-stay safe and…and a-achieve the rank of chuunin."

"Thanks!" Naruto grinned, though it was a bit forced. "I'll totally dominate my round!"

_…At least, I'll try._

_ …I hope._


	47. The Final Trial

**Chapter 46**

_The Final Trial_

The hour was so early that there was no hint of the sun on the horizon. Several miles outside of Konoha, well out of range of any security patrols, shadowy figures converged. Orochimaru and his top ninjas met with Yuudai, his father Yuuma, and their chosen ninjas came together over a detailed map of Konoha lit by a flashlight as final deployments were agreed upon.

Orochimaru, as an expert on Konoha, already had a solid plan of attack in mind with several high priority targets marked out. There was no argument from the Uzushio contingent; they only provided final numbers on their ninjas and enslaved demons and werewolves. The talks lasted nearly an hour before the two groups parted and returned to the main bodies of their respective forces to give final briefings and move into their attack positions.

"Orochimaru-sama…is it wise to give these Uzushio-nin such trust?" Sakon, the dominant half of the twin ninja, asked with care. "What's to say that they won't turn on us during the assault?"

"It was they who approached us with the idea for this attack," the cold-blooded hanyou replied. "It would be counter-productive of them to sabotage the strike that they first proposed." He chuckled darkly. "In fact, it would be suicidal of them. Such an action would cause the attack to fail, Konoha would survive…and then the Leaf would punish their disloyal ally."

"I don't see why we haven't killed their leader and taken his place to give us complete control over Uzushio," Kidoumaru complained.

"Such a plot requires detailed information on the leader and the village in order to have any chance of success," Orochimaru explained as they walked. "And not only do we lack such information, Uzushio has no clear ''Kage' in charge. Instead, their village is managed jointly by the leaders of all the major clans, and replacing ten ninja that we barely know anything about is simply out of the question."

"We need to get some better spies," Tayuya groused. "We don't know jack shit about what goes on inside Uzushiogakure no Sato."

"Language, Tayuya," Jirobou sighed.

"Espionage takes time, my dear," Orochimaru hissed. "If I had foreseen such potential for betrayal in Uzushiogakure, I would have had them penetrated long before their offer came before me."

In truth, the serpentine ninja was quietly dismayed at his spies' utter failure to glean any inside information on his "allies". Smaller villages were harder to spy on as strangers and newcomers had a much more difficult time blending in and avoiding scrutiny. There were also fewer native individuals that could be turned into double agents. And worse, the entire village of Uzushio seemed even more paranoid than the legendary Hanzou the Salamander. Every spy the snake had sent the village gates had failed to even peek inside. Such a highly guarded place would take years of patient work to infiltrate…and Orochimaru had never thought to try until Yuudai had first approached him mere months ago.

"Don't worry about our friends," the half-snake advised them. "In the unlikely event that they do try a double-cross, I have a few contingencies in place…"

Reaching inside his tunic, Orochimaru retrieved a small pouch that contained metal disks covered and seals and hanging from leather cords. He handed each of his bodyguards one of the objects, with Sakon receiving a second one for his napping brother, Ukon. Jirobou also accepted a second one to deliver to Kimimaro when he had the opportunity.

"What are these?" Tayuya asked.

"Master control seals," the hanyou smirked. "Should I give you permission to use them, they will allow you to take direct control of any creature, werewolf or demon, that the Uzushio-nin have enslaved with the collars that I gave them. The master seal I possess can even deactivate all the enslaved creatures under Uzushio's control so that they may rage against whoever they please."

"Wicked," Kidoumaru grinned in appreciation.

"Indeed," Orochimaru smiled coldly. _Should they try to stab me in the back, they'll have their own wolves at their throats…_

* * *

"Today will be a glorious day!" Yuudai crowed as he strolled back to the waiting point with his father, several paces ahead of their chosen generals.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, my son," Yuuma advised. "It is the height of foolishness to declare victory before the battle has even begun. Remember: no plan survives contact with the enemy."

"You can't honestly believe that Konoha will survive our assault," Yuudai frowned. "They have no idea that we're coming. Otherwise they would've cancelled or postponed the Trials, or made some preemptive strike."

"Oh? Then why did they eject Kasshoku?" Yuuma countered.

"Because Kushina mounted a campaign to get him thrown out so that she could take over his position," Yuudai replied. "Why are you playing devil's advocate?"

"To remind you to be cautious and focused, Yuudai," his father responded. "The Hoshitama, Furukawa, and Uzumaki all were able to vanish under our very noses without any warning. With an Uzumaki already in Konoha, it's conceivable that the Leaf has some warning."

"It can't be anything specific," Yuudai snorted. "That would incriminate themselves, if not doom themselves."

Even before the Kyuubi's rise, Kitsune had always been viewed with suspicion by humans. And once the monstrous Tenko had blackened their race's name beyond repair, no Kitsune would dare approach openly approach any human, warrior or civilian. Now, after a few centuries of believing the absolute worst of Kitsune (and believing that they were extinct), it would still be renewed genocide to deal straight with humans.

If the Uzumaki were completely open with Konoha, they would die and it would be open season on Uzushiogakure no Sato. If the Uzumaki were only half-truthful—claiming that they were humans and the rest of their village was Kitsune—they would still suffer and be mistrusted. Back during the Slaughter, humans that had allied themselves with Kitsune had paid dearly.

Anything more than the vaguest of warnings and the Uzumaki would be slitting their own throats.

The Uzumaki and their few feeble allies were backed into a corner, desperate, but not suicidal.

"Still, even a vague warning could complicate things," Yuuma shrugged. "And then there is Orochimaru to consider, as well."

"What's there to consider?" Yuudai smirked. "A few gifts and the offer of vengeance and we have him eating out of our hands!"

"We may be playing him for a fool now, but he is not a real fool," the older fox replied. "We must assume that he has some contingency in place in the event that we turn on him…which we will. Whatever it is, I doubt it will be enough. However, if we aren't vigilant, his contingency could hurt us."

"Hurting us is a long way from destroying us," Yuudai scoffed, and earned himself a cuff to the back of his head.

"Our numbers are still small!" Yuuma chastised. "We can't afford to spend our forces like water. Every Kitsune lost is one too many. Just because we have almost double the numbers of ninja than Orochimaru believes doesn't mean that we can afford heavy losses."

Uzushiogakure no Sato had always been viewed as the smallest of the ninja villages with the lowest number of active ninja it could put onto the field. However, because of Kitsune's long lives, this wasn't entirely accurate. Kitsune who became too old to masquerade as humans were forced into early retirement, and younger foxes become ninja to take their place. Now, several centuries after their village's founding, the true number of warriors they could field was a little over 40% larger than any outsider believed.

When they had given the size of their forces to Orochimaru, they had been completely truthful in regards to the number of werewolves and subjugated demons they had brought along. They had not been entirely truthful in regards to their stated number of ninjas, and Orochimaru would never suspect it. The numbers that the snake knew seemed reasonable considering that they had to leave a skeleton force to protect their village and they had lost some ninja to a rebellion (their cover story for the loss of the three clans). He would never dream that they had a second smaller wave of ninja waiting further out, ready to move in once the attack was in full swing with their own objectives in mind, including one special group led by Kurohi Yuuta himself that was heading straight into the Forest of Death.

"I understand your point, Father," Yuudai grumbled and rubbed at the back of his skull with one hand. "But our chances of success are still so very high… Perhaps you're still shaken by the desertion of the Uzumaki, Furukawa, and Hoshitama?" At his father's glum silence, he squeezed his sire's shoulder. "We know where the Hoshitama are, and it's only a matter of time before we pin down the locations of the other two rogue clans. Once our business in Konoha is settled, we'll make them pay for their treachery. Hey—in the chaos that follows after the Leaf burns, we can sell their locations to the other great ninja villages!"

"That…is a possibility," Yuuma muttered thoughtfully. "We'll need to be careful in how the information is framed and delivered. We don't want the four remaining great villages to come after us first instead of them."

Yuudai beamed as he watched his father's plotting juices start to flow.

_Konoha is a big step, but only the first of many…_

* * *

"It's the day of the Finals, why is the village gate even opened?" Kotetsu groaned as he sat with his partner in the guard shack just within Konoha's massive gates while the sun steadily climbed into the sky.

"To make sure any stragglers can get inside," Izumo replied, reviewing the most recent pages in the guest book. "Like a half hour ago when that shipping magnate and his entourage showed up." He checked the selection of pens that visitors used to sign the book and glanced over at his pouting partner. "Relax, Kotetsu, the gates only stay open until 10 AM, so it's not like we have a full shift here."

"Still," the spiky-haired chuunin complained. "That doesn't leave us much time to make it to the stadium before the demon-slaying starts."

"We'll make it," Izumo responded. "We always do."

"But we don't always get good seats," Kotetsu retorted.

"…True," the straight-haired chuunin shrugged. "We always get seats, though."

"I guess…we're never stuck standing." Kotetsu snagged one of the pens and twirled it around with his left hand. "Still…"

"Still, what?" Izumo asked when Kotetsu failed to follow through with his next complaint.

"More stragglers," the other chuunin said, jerking his head down the road.

Sure enough, walking down the road towards the towering gates was a cluster of visitors. Most looked moderately well-off, if not wealthy, but there were a couple of elderly people who appeared much poorer. And at the head of the group strutted Jiraiya of the Sannin, looking quite pleased with himself.

"This looks interesting," Izumo remarked.

Ten minutes later, the mixed group that Jiraiya was escorting arrived and the two chuunin started processing them.

"Hey, Jiraiya-sama, what's up?" Kotetsu inquired as he accepted the first batch of identification papers.

"Well I just happened to be in the area when these fine folks found themselves on the bad side of some bandits," the white-haired giant boasted. "The gentleman that I am, I lent them a hand and sent the bandits on their merry way with a few good kicks for good measure! And when I heard that all these nice civilians were heading to Konoha, I just had to guide them there to make sure they met up with no more trouble."

Both chuunin couldn't help but be amused at the legendary warrior's colorful persona. Without any prompting he went into a detailed retelling of exactly how he'd defeated the bandits. He was surely exaggerating, even though he'd only dealt with common criminals who possessed no magical talents, but that was part of why the old ninja's story was so amusing.

"I wish all guests were like Jiraiya-sama," Kotetsu sighed once the odd group had been cleared and led into the village by the mighty Sannin.

"As funny as he was, it was hard to keep track of all the ID those civilians were shoving at us," Izumo complained.

"Don't worry about it," Kotetsu said as he settled back into his chair. "Jiraiya-sama thinks they're okay and he's a far better ninja than both of us combined. I'm sure that he's checked all of those people out before the village gates were even in sight. If any of them weren't right, he would've warned us."

"I suppose so," Izumo nodded thoughtfully. "And at least he made their check-in more fun than it usually is."

"Yeah, so how much longer until we can close the gates and leave?"

"Oh…" Izumo turned to the back of the shack and consulted the wall clock briefly. "About half an hour."

"…I wish Jiraiya-sama would come back," Kotetsu sighed, leaning his forehead against the counter.

Izumo could only roll his eyes.

* * *

Naruto stared into the bathroom mirror and eyed his attire critically. Since his preferred ninja uniform and all his spares were ruined, he'd grudgingly accepted his mother's suggestion for an alternative. Today was the first day that he was going to wear it.

The only orange part was the shirt with sleeves that stopped at his elbows, and it was a darker, duller shade than he would've liked; the rest was dark gray or black. The pants were black, the sandals were black, the long fingerless gloves were black, and the long vest that made him think of Ero-Sennin's outfit was black. The vest-jacket-thing was fairly plain with only the red kanji for "fire" embroidered onto the back, and the fingerless gloves had small armor plates that would protect the back of his hands and his forearms. And underneath the orange shirt was a light, loose chainmail shirt—something he'd never bothered with before.

His mother had optimized the outfit with his shape-shifting abilities in mind, even though he certainly wasn't going to go and transform in the arena in front of the whole village. The gloves had no fingertips so he wouldn't ruin them by sprouting claws. The loose shirt and long vest covered the seat of his pants, so the little modifications she'd made to them so that he could sprout a tail were well-hidden. And everything was fitted loosely enough so that his movement wouldn't be hindered, no matter what shape he was in at the time.

_I guess it looks okay,_ he thought reluctantly, rubbing his right thumb over the engraved plate of the hitai-ate he hadn't yet put on. _It's not the same, though…_

"There you are!"

He flinched and glanced over to the doorway to see his mother grinning at him.

"Very sharp," she said with great satisfaction. "What do you think?"

"I guess it's fine," Naruto muttered.

"You're so hard to please," his mother sighed and slipped into the bathroom and crouched down beside him. "I think it's a good mix of professional ninja and flashy badass. But if you really don't like it, when you grow out of this you can go and pick something else out. Sound fair?"

"Yeah," the boy agreed with a slow nod.

"Now," she took the hitai-ate from his hand and smoothed out its blue cloth, "let's make sure you're ready to head to the stadium."

"But what if I blow it?" Naruto blurted out. "What if I do terrible and I don't make chuunin? What if—"

His mother clapped a hand over his mouth, cutting off the torrent of verbal panic.

"Calm down," she commanded. "If you don't get promoted this time you can always undertake the Trials again. Don't worry about passing or failing. You've barely been in Konoha training to be a ninja for three years—a lot less than anyone else in the Trials. You made it all the way to the end, and no matter how you do we're going to have a party afterwards." She smiled at him. "Okay?"

When she removed her hand from his mouth he sighed deeply and nodded.

"Okay."

"Good!" She tied the hitai-ate to his forehead and stood up. "Now let's get a move on before you're late!"

* * *

Hinata nervously trailed after Kiba as the Inuzuka wandered the stadium in search of the perfect seats with Akamaru on his head. The place was packed with dozens of civilians, foreigners, and off-duty ninja all eager to watch chuunin-hopefuls battle dangerous demons. Without Kiba leading the way, Hinata was sure that she would've gotten lost in the overwhelming crowd and never found a seat where she could cheer Shino, Neji, and the rest of her old classmates on.

"Ha ha!" Kiba suddenly crowed and grabbed Hinata's wrist. "C'mon, I see some good seats!"

Her teammate dragged her down a flight of stairs and down an aisle to a set of stadium seats that were unoccupied and unreserved. Kiba selected a chair right in the middle and flopped into it, moving Akamaru from the top of his head to the inside of his jacket so that the puppy was just under his chin. Hinata took the seat to his left and fidgeted restlessly with her fingers as her pale gaze dropped into the sunken pit of the arena.

"This is a great spot!" Kiba remarked. "It's too bad I'm stuck watching, though."

"Th-there's always n-next year, Kiba-kun," Hinata told him, barely audible over the noise of the surrounding crowd. "I-I'm sure you'll d-do well."

Kiba didn't reply, he just pouted a bit and scanned the crowd.

Hinata fell silent and tried to get control of her fidgeting fingers as she waited for the Finals to begin. She wished that Kurenai-sensei would be sitting with them, but the jounin apparently had special seating. The girl would've felt more secure to have her teacher nearby, to hear her professional opinion on how the matches were going—

"Hey, it's Hinata, right?"

The Hyuuga girl jumped a bit and found Tenten, the only member of her cousin's team to have not made it through, speaking to her.

"Y-y-yes?"

"Are any of these seats saved?" the brunette asked, gesturing to the empty seats in the row where Hinata and Kiba were sitting. When Hinata shook her head 'no', Tenten grinned and claimed one of the chairs for herself. "Great!"

Five minutes later, Kiba spotted Chouji and called the Akimichi boy over. The chubby youth brought with him several large bags of chips, and Ino and Sakura. While the two boys and Akamaru sat together and crunched on chips, Ino and Sakura parked themselves between Hinata and Tenten and started loudly debating over who would and wouldn't be making chuunin this year.

The row of empty seats that Kiba had located was now almost completely filled, with only two chairs left open near Chouji. Hinata felt hemmed in with all the empty spaces now gone. She was glad that she was surrounded by familiar faces, but she wished that it was Tenten who was sitting to her left instead of Ino as the blonde girl kept jostling Hinata with her elbow as her debate with Sakura grew more and more heated.

_This isn't so bad. It's just like being in the classroom, only we're outside instead of indoors. We all know each other—_

"See, Kotetsu, we got great seats!"

Hinata peeked out of the corner of her eye and spotted two adult chuunin settling into the last two open chairs next to Chouji. A brief flash of anxiety washed over her, but it faded quickly. They were Konoha ninjas, and she remembered seeing them guarding the village gates on several occasions.

_Perhaps they'll share with us how well our friends are doing down in the arena…_

* * *

Sasuke jammed his fists into his pockets as he navigated the maze of hallways that ran underneath the stadium complex. The section he was traversing was restricted to ninjas either participating or administering the Final Trial so it was rather deserted. Kakashi had escorted him to the special entrance and given him directions to the waiting area before splitting off to wherever he was going to sit and observe the matches.

When Sasuke reached the staircase that led to the waiting area, he found himself ambushed.

"Good morning, Sasuke-san."

The ex-Uchiha paused and looked to see the older genin, Kabuto, coming out from behind the stairs, light glinting off his glasses. Sasuke remembered him from before the first Trial and how oddly helpful he'd tried to be. And he also remembered that Kabuto had backed out of the Trials before the tournament in the Forest of Death.

"What are you doing down here?" Sasuke asked warily.

"I'm in training to be a medic-nin," the silver-haired genin cheerfully explained. "I helped set up medical supplies in the first aid room and now I'm off to find a seat up in the stadium."

"Oh." _That makes sense._

"You did well in the Forest of Death, but I wish you luck anyway," Kabuto smiled. "Knock those demons dead."

The older genin clapped Sasuke on the shoulder—

A stab of pain rocketed through the spot where the sealed curse mark was located and Sasuke staggered.

"Are you alright?" Kabuto asked with great concern. "Did I hit a bruise?"

As quickly as it had come, the pain was gone, leaving only a cold, slimy sensation.

"I'm fine," Sasuke grunted, shaking out his shoulder. "I need to get going."

"Oh, well, good luck!" Kabuto called after him as Sasuke started up the stairs.

"Hn," the dark-haired boy grunted. _Whatever._

The curse mark felt different, wrong, but he didn't waste time getting it looked at. The ANBU had said that the seal would work as long as he wanted it to, and he still wanted it to work. If he went to see a medic, he'd be late and get disqualified from the Finals. And he refused to let that happen. He'd worked too hard and his mother had come to watch him.

He wouldn't disappoint her.

* * *

Kushina grinned when she spied Mikoto, and the saved seat next to her.

"Have I told you that you're awesome lately?" the red-head asked as she sat in the reserved seat.

"Not for a while now," Mikoto replied. "But times have been stressful and busy, so I'm not offended."

"Aw, thanks," Kushina laughed. "Man, there are a lot of people here."

"There are always a lot of people here," Mikoto said.

"My memory must be faulty," Kushina sighed. "I swear it wasn't so hard to find seats at the last Final Trial that I attended."

"It's nice weather we have this year," Mikoto remarked, looking up at the blue, nearly cloudless sky.

"Mm-hm," the Uzumaki nodded. "So…you nervous?"

"…Yes," Mikoto swallowed. "I think even if things hadn't gone so wrong I would worry."

"Sasuke's talented and well-trained, I have lots more to worry about than you do," Kushina huffed.

Mikoto sighed and gazed down into the sunken pit of the arena for a minute.

"You'd think I wouldn't be so worried," the Uchiha murmured. "Itachi went through the same thing, and he was younger than Sasuke is."

"It must be a mom thing," Kushina suggested. "We always worry about our babies."

"It must be," Mikoto smiled weakly. "I'll worry even though everything will turn out fine."

"Yeah," Kushina nodded. _I wish I could be so sure…_

_ If only I didn't know better._

* * *

The Hokage settled into his formal chair, guarded by a pair of his jounin, in the highest and most prestigious box that provided the ideal view of the battlefield far below. In the past, when the Trials were still the international Chuunin Exams, he would share this space with any 'Kages who had genin in the running to be chuunin. Now only minor villages could send genin to Konoha and such small villages could rarely afford to send their leaders to personally observe the Finals, so standing off to the side were the jounin-senseis of the Oto-genin and the two Taki-genin.

The Taki jounin was a stern-faced man with several scars and graying hair at his temples. The Oto jounin was much younger, barely more than a teenager, with white hair, chalky skin, and a dry cough. Neither seemed to be the talkative type and the old Hokage knew he wouldn't be doing much bantering with either of them.

A small red toad landed on the railing of the box, hopped down and over to the Hokage's chair, and climbed up to his shoulder. The two jounin guarding the village leader eyed the amphibian suspiciously, but didn't stop the creature. Hiruzen paid the creature little notice, merely tilting his head slightly so that he could better hear its whispered message.

"Jiraiya-sama sends his regards and wishes that pretty ladies would take advantage of the hot springs instead of watching bloody demon slaying," it chirped.

The Hokage nodded and the toad hopped down to the ground, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

_So…_ The old man sighed and watched as the chuunin hopefuls were paraded out into the middle of the arena so that all of the spectators could see them. _Everything is in place…_

* * *

Naruto tried not to sweat as he fell into single file line down into the arena. The stands that almost completely surrounded the arena were filled with all kinds of people that cheered as the genin were arrayed before them. The crowd was so huge that no matter how hard he tried Naruto couldn't pick out his mother's face from the masses.

"Stand up straight now," Shiranui Genma, the proctor for the Finals, instructed. "Let them get a good look at who they'll be cheering for today."

_Wow,_ Naruto gulped and licked his dry lips. _This is it…_


	48. Gentle Fist, Deadly Touch

**Chapter 47**

_Gentle Fist, Deadly Touch_

"Okay," Genma sighed, drawing the genin's attention away from the vast sea of cheering spectators roiling in the stands high above. "Here's how this is going to work, so pay attention."

Naruto gulped and fixed his eyes on the jounin with the senbon needle clenched in his teeth.

"There are two rounds: the Primary and the Bonus. The Primary fights are individual match-ups against demons held in the order of the numbers you drew back in the Forest of Death. If you survive, you get lumped with a few other surviving contestants to kill more demons. The scores will be tallied and one week from today those deserving promotion will be announced. …Got it?"

When there were no questions, he unfolded a piece of paper he pulled from his pocket and showed it to them all.

"In case you forgot, here are your numbers again. All of you back to the waiting area, now." Genma put the paper away and waved them off. "The first match starts in ten minutes."

The collection of chuunin-hopefuls bowed slightly and headed back to the stairs that led up to the waiting area set into the arena wall, halfway between the ground and the bottom of the stands. However, one of them, Hyuuga Neji, remained behind with the proctor. The pale-eyed boy was up first and apparently didn't see any point in going all the way back to the waiting area and then back down to the center of the arena mere minutes later.

Naruto hurried up the stairs and grabbed a good spot at the rail to watch how Neji would do. He had every intention of challenging the older boy to a fight sometime later after giving Kiba the rematch the dog-boy had demanded. And he had every intention of winning, so it was important to see what he would be up against so that he could prepare.

_There isn't a date set yet, Neji, but we're going to fight and I'm going to beat the bully out of you, dattebayo!_

* * *

High up in the VIP boxes, just below the Hokage's seating and the private seating reserved for the daimyos, a wealthy businessman that managed a very successful shipping company sat surrounded by his assistants and favored employees. The man was slightly overweight with a thick neck and sagging jowls and not even his very expensive clothing could quite hide his pot belly. One assistant fanned him to make sure that the warm day combined with his weight and heavy clothing didn't cause him to overheat and miss the spectacle.

He had arrived very late, much later than he had planned. Normally he arrived in Konoha a week ahead of the Finals to enjoy the hospitality of the Leaf Village before watching the fights to see if he would continue favoring Konoha-nin to protect his highest-value cargoes. But he didn't appear to be the least bit disgruntled at only having arrived in the village that morning with no time to relax or settle into a hotel.

"Gouki! Hey, Gouki!"

The pudgy businessman lazily turned to find a slightly less hefty, but no less richly dressed, man approaching his cluster of seats from the other side of the VIP box.

"Yes?" Gouki nodded blandly in greeting.

"I didn't think that you were going to make it this year!" the other businessman laughed as he pushed through Gouki's stiff entourage to stand beside his chair. "What kept you?"

"Oh, a dozen little business emergencies just important enough to require my personal attention," Gouki sighed, gesturing to the fan-bearer to stop for the moment. "When I return, I think I need to reshuffle some staff…"

"Too bad," the slimmer man sighed, shaking his head. "Have you decided which genin you'll bet on this year?"

"Hmm…" Gouki took a moment to stroke at his thin moustache before making his choice. "I think I will place my money on Sasuke, formerly of the Uchiha clan. He's been disowned. He has something to prove. Mark me down for my usual amount, would you?"

"Of course…" The second businessman studied Gouki with something approaching concern. The two men had been friendly acquaintances for many years. They weren't real friends, but he liked to think that he knew Gouki well enough to read the other man accurately. Something seemed off about Gouki today, but he couldn't put his finger on why or what exactly wasn't right.

"Of course," he repeated with his best business smile. "I personally have my money on the first young fighter, Hyuuga Neji. I've heard many whispers of his great talent and from what I understand of his family, he has things to prove as well." He chuckled. "It should be interesting to see which of us has made the better bet."

"Indeed we shall," Gouki agreed with an odd smile.

Unnerved, but still not really sure why, the other VIP nodded and returned to the other side of the box and several other wealthy merchants and politicians.

Gouki paid him and all the other VIPs no mind. His dull gaze was fixed down into the depths of the arena. The genin waiting to confront his demons looked tiny from such a great height.

_It's too bad he's a Branch Hyuuga…_

* * *

Naruto leaned against the metal railing and stared intently down at Neji's back as he waited for the minutes to run out and his battle to start.

_I'm watching you…so show me what you've got! You—_

"Hey, Naruto," Shikamaru greeted with his usual bored tone. "New clothes?"

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, warily glancing over his shoulder at the Nara boy. _He's not going to start asking questions like Ino…right?_

"Hey, Hisa, look!" the remaining male Taki-genin snickered, gesturing towards Naruto with one of his long knives. "It's that little Konoha-nin in orange! With the new threads I totally didn't recognize him. He actually looks like a competent ninja now!"

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped. "My old clothes were awesome!"

"Hn," Sasuke snorted.

"They were!" Naruto insisted hotly, shooting a glare to his teammate.

"Your mom picked out those clothes for you, didn't she?" the ex-Uchiha responded.

"…Shut up," Naruto muttered, feeling his ears burn a little.

"Hey, kid," the female Taki-genin said to the whiskered blond with a glower. "How did you manage to rob me back in the forest? That fox-thing couldn't have been with you. My sensei said that lesser fox demons only contract with Iwa-nin."

Naruto felt himself start to sweat as every other genin turned to look at him, even the Oto-nin, Dosu, who had been ignoring everyone completely.

"It's a secret," he decided, turning back around to stare at Neji in the arena again. _I'm not telling so quit staring already!_

Glancing upwards at the top of the arena wall, Naruto noticed several dozen ninja—at least chuunin in rank—were taking positions all around the ring an equal distance from each other. They knelt down, held out their hands, and for a minute nothing appeared to happen. Then a hazy gray film spread out from their palms and slowly spread outwards until a barrier of magical energy completely separated the restless crowd from the arena without impacting their ability to see what was going on.

"A barrier?" Naruto wondered. _What do they need to do that for?_

"Some demons can fly," Shikamaru said. "They need to make sure that the civilians are protected."

"We should all pay attention," Shino commented. "Why? Because Neji's battle is about to begin and there is much we might learn from observing it."

Naruto looked down from the barrier to see the barred gates set on the far side of the arena start to lift to release Neji's opponents. There were five gates, and four of them raised up. But only three demons immediately appeared.

All three were Red Asiatic Imps. They were vaguely baboon-like in appearance with red-brown fur, ugly faces with curving tusks, and tiny red eyes that glowed. The trio shambled into view on all-fours with their weapons of choice hanging across their backs.

Imps native to their lands were of moderate intelligence as demons went, and they fancied themselves musicians. But what they considered good music made humans want to stab out their own eardrums so they didn't have to hear it. And imp-crafted 'instruments' were primarily used as weapons.

Red Imps were 'guitarists'. They fashioned their guitars out of stone turtle shells, demon bones, and scavenged wire. Their 'instruments' functioned both defensively and offensively, and combined with the general nasty temperament of imps they made for a challenging foe for young ninja.

The ape-like imp demons snarled and hooted as they edged closer to Neji as the proctor vanished from sight, probably using a genjutsu so that the imps wouldn't target him. Neji just stood there, even as the flesh-eating beasts started to circle around him, their claw-like hands reached towards the necks of their guitars. One of the imps got behind Neji and stopped to un-shoulder its weapon and spin it faster and faster over its head in preparation to hurl it at the boy's back.

"Why isn't he moving?" Naruto frowned as he watched. "That thing'll bash his brains in if he doesn't turn around!"

"He does not have to turn around to see them," Lee said.

"What?" Naruto briefly glanced over at Neji's teammate in confusion. "How?"

"It is because of the Hyuuga clan _kekkei genkai_," the genin in the green spandex replied as his bandaged hands clutched at the metal railing. "When activated, the Byakugan allows the user to see three-hundred-and-sixty degrees. He can see what is happening in front of him, behind him, and to both sides of him at the same time, without moving his head. Neji knows exactly what these demons are doing."

"Oh," Naruto blinked. _So…it's like he has eyes in the back of his head?_

The imp hurled its weapon and the guitar spun towards Neji's back. Seconds before impact, the Hyuuga bent forwards so that the hefty weapon sailed harmlessly over him before it boomeranged back to its owner. Neji immediately straightened up and went back to standing perfectly still, which really seemed to make the three imps angry.

Each imp took turns hurling its guitar at Neji and every time he dodged it by bending out of the way. He didn't even move his feet an inch. And the complete ease with which he dodged made the imps furious. They howled, pounded their chests, stomped their feet, and even dragged their claws over their guitar strings a few times, producing horribly, tooth-jarring sounds.

And finally one of the trio had had enough and it charged the boy, wielding its instrument like a mace.

Neji finally unglued his feet from the ground to leap over the low swing of the guitar and flip away from the attack. Seeing their fellow's success, the other two imps rushed in using their weapons in the same way. And Neji dodged them all with such skill that it looked like he was performing a choreographed gymnastic routine.

"This guy's good," Shin the Taki-nin muttered.

"It's like he's dancing," Hisa added.

Enraged and frustrated, the imps' swings grew wilder and wilder until one clobbered another in the shoulder. The two imps immediately started shrieking abuse at each other, leaving only the third imp to focus on pounding Neji into paste. Neji took advantage of the situation and finally moved to attack.

The Hyuuga easily slipped around the ungainly guitar and lashed out at the imp…with just two fingers on each hand.

_What the—?_

Neji jabbed at the creature's long arms, and its instrument suddenly dropped from its grasp. The Red Imp howled in distress and tried to reclaim its weapon, but its arms no longer seemed to work. And then Neji struck again—an open-palmed slap to its chest and another to its forehead.

The demon made a horribly gurgling noise. Blood sprayed from its ugly, tusk-toothed mouth. And then it toppled backwards, bounced a bit on the ground, and didn't move any more.

"How'd he do that?" Naruto squeaked. "He barely touched the thing!"

"That is the special taijutsu style used by the Hyuuga clan," Lee explained. "Most taijutsu styles focus on dislocating joints or breaking bones, but the Hyuuga's 'Gentle Fist' uses chakra strikes to attack the internal organs. With the aid of their Byakugan's enhanced vision, they can even attack a target's chakra network to cause paralysis, and even kill."

_Holy crap!_ Naruto shuddered. _I figured Neji would be a tough opponent, but this…_

The two remaining imps stopped their quarreling and gaped at the corpse of their third comrade. One recoiled with a fearful ape-like shriek. The other bellowed in rage and rushed to attack.

Neji easily danced around the crude charge and stabbed at the creature's hairy back with several finger strikes. The imp stumbled and its heavy guitar slipped from its fingers. Before it landed face-first on the ground, the long-haired boy slapped an open hand on the back of its neck, just below the base of the skull.

Before the third imp could flee, Neji was charging with his deadly fingers poised to strike. The imp raised its guitar, turtle shell body facing outward like a shield, but the genin flipped up and over the monster, landing behind it. He whirled around before the quivering demon could react and dispatched it in an almost identical manner as he had with the second one.

His fight had lasted several minutes, but when Neji went for the kill it took mere seconds. He didn't say a word or make any sound that any of the watching contestants could hear from the waiting area. The boy was calm and collected and completely focused on his task.

And he didn't seem to think that he was done.

Instead of relaxing and looking for the hidden proctor, Neji remained in a ready stance. He tilted his head ever so slightly to the left and to the right. And then he turned sharply to the left and ran at…nothing.

"What's he doing?" Naruto muttered, puzzled.

"He must see something with his Byakugan!" Lee said, bouncing on the balls of his feet with tense energy.

"But what—"

The air a few yards in front of Neji shimmered like a heat mirage and something dark and long—a tentacle, or perhaps a tongue—whipped out towards the boy. Neji dodged left, missing the whipping thing by inches, and kept running at what looked like thin air. The long tendril retracted back into the shimmering patch of air but before it could lash out again Neji was on it.

His hand darted out and stabbed at…nothing. He stopped his forward momentum and dashed left, arcing around for a flank attack on…nothing. Then he vaulted over…nothing…and resumed attacking the other side of…nothing.

_What the hell?_ Naruto wondered and scratched at the back of his head. _What is it?_

Aside from that one brief sighting of the blurry air and that thing—the whip, the tentacle, the tongue, the whatever-it-was—Naruto couldn't see any target. But Neji apparently could see it just fine. The Hyuuga flipped backwards, putting a few yards between himself and the invisible demon, and then hurled several kunai…

…Which solidly sank into something that let out a loud, dry hiss.

"A lesser chameleon demon," Shikamaru said. "They're big and sneaky, but stupid and slow-moving, except for its tongue."

"You sure that's what it is?" Naruto asked.

"The Hyuuga can see the chakra in it," Sasuke said from the far side of the waiting area as he gazed down at the fight with his Sharingan active. "That thing's color-changing skin and camouflaging illusions are useless. He can see the chakra flowing and that's all he needs to see."

"That Byakugan can see chakra like the Sharingan?" Naruto sputtered. _What else can it do?_

"Its ability to see chakra is similar, but not the same," Sasuke replied, but didn't elaborate any further.

The invisible reptile now was clearly marked with the two kunai poking out of its side. Neji circled around the hidden creature again and hurled several more knives, each one hitting its mark with another pained hiss. The chameleon's illusions grew hazy before breaking altogether to reveal a large horned lizard the size of a horse with a curled tail and bulging, whirling eyes. Angry colors—red, yellow, and black—pulsed over its scaly hide at eye-watering speed.

If the colors were a warning, Neji ignored it. He attacked it from behind, leaping over its tail as the appendage uncurled to try and trip him. Scampering over its arched spine he lunged forward and slipped his hands under the short bony frill that jutted off the back of its skull for another back-of-the-neck strike. The lizard reared back almost in slow-motion to try and dislodge Neji, but he glued his feet to it with charka and stabbed at one of its turret eyes with another kunai.

It shrieked and pitched over but Neji was relentless and forced the blade deeper and deeper until only the handle was left protruding.

The Hyuuga abandoned his perch, then, and watched dispassionately as it slowly thrashed less and less. The colors flashed over its skin slowed and paled. And then it faded to a murky gray-brown and its thrashed weakened into feeble twitches.

Genma was visible again and he went about performing his duties as proctor of the Finals. He checked each imp to confirm its state, and then checked the chameleon demon. Once that was done, he pulled out a small microphone so that his voice was carried over the stadium PA system.

_"Three kills and one mortal wound for Hyuuga Neji,"_ he announced to loud cheers from the crowd. _"Once the bodies are removed, the next match will begin."_

The jounin put the microphone away and said a few words to Neji before the Hyuuga turned and marched towards the waiting area. He was relaxed now, barely winded, barely even dusty. It was like he'd never been in a fight.

"He's cold," Hisa commented with a shiver. "A pretty face, but ice in his veins."

"My eternal rival is a fearsome shinobi," Lee said.

"It's a good thing that we're fighting demons instead of each other for this test," Shikamaru remarked. "It would be really troublesome to fight him."

_Yeah,_ Naruto silently agreed with a shudder. _I'm still going to fight him, though… I just need to train more._

Naruto's blue eyes drifted over the demons Neji had slain and he gulped.

_ …A lot more._

_ But,_ he tightened his jaw,_ I'll fight him and I'll beat him somehow because I said that I would!_

* * *

"That was brutal," Kiba grunted, scratching Akamaru under his chin. "It's a good thing you didn't fight him back in the Forest of Death, Hinata."

"Y-yes," Hinata squeaked, nodding weakly.

"Whoa," Ino breathed. "Tenten, what's it like being on team with a guy like that?"

"It can be difficult sometimes," the brunette replied. "He's a demanding training partner. But if he wasn't around, I'd have to train directly with Lee and Gai-sensei…" Tenten shivered a bit. "It's good that Neji's on the team, I just wish he'd open up more."

Hinata tapped her fingers together and stared down into the arena through the barely noticeable protective barrier. A cart pulled by several large Inuzuka dogs traveled from body to body and ninja loaded the demon carcasses for removal. The chameleon was loaded first as it was the largest and took the longest, and the imps were piled on top of it. In less than five minutes the next fight would likely be able to begin.

"Hey, Hinata," Ino said, making the Hyuuga girl flinch. "You live with Neji. What's that like?"

"I…I don't live w-with Neji-nii-san a-anymore," Hinata mumbled nervously. "What-what does it h-have to do with anything?"

"I'm just curious," Ino shrugged. "He's only about a year older than we are and he takes down four demons without breaking a sweat. He's sort of like Sasuke-kun, only Neji's a Hyuuga."

"Ino-pig, quit being so nosy!" Sakura chided. "One day your hunt for juicy gossip is going to get you into trouble."

"Does anyone know who's going next?" Chouji asked around a mouthful of potato chips.

"I can't remember," Sakura said with a frown. "I know that Sasuke-kun's going third…"

"But who's going second?" Ino pouted.

"It's on the screen now," Tenten told them, and they all looked up at the big screen at the far end of the stadium.

The giant screen which had displayed the results of Neji's battle had now changed to show the name of the next genin to fight.

Naruto.

* * *

In a small break room tucked away in the bowels of the Hokage Tower, an ANBU lounged at the table and watched a closed circuit television that showed what was going on across the village in the stadium. He was alone and would remain there unless or until he was needed. Hopefully there would be no need for his skills and he could stay in the break room and watch the Finals, uninterrupted.

But he didn't dare count on that.

Earlier in the day, hours before the Finals had started, unusual kunai had been distributed to all ANBU along with strict orders on their use. Should there be an attack on the village and should a certain code word be broadcast over their radio channels, the special kunai were to be used. If both conditions were not met, the blades should remain sheathed.

Turnover in ANBU was high, so there were few agents that recognized the oddly-shaped kunai and understood their use. Those that did made sarcastic comments about summoning werewolves or complained at how worthless these kunai would be. Those that didn't were puzzled until their seniors explained it to them, and then they mostly complained about carrying around extra equipment that wouldn't be useful.

The orders came directly from the Hokage, though, so they all accepted the blades they were given and would carry out their orders should they be given.

Mangetsu didn't complain about the kunai or receive any of the blades. He already carried a secondary weapon pouch full of them. Instead he waited in the break room and watched the Finals.

_Naruto's up,_ he thought anxiously. _Now I'll see if I taught him well enough that he doesn't have to draw on his…less acceptable abilities._


	49. Maelstrom

**Chapter 48**

_Maelstrom_

Naruto stood flexing his fingers in nervous anticipation at the center of the arena. The murmuring crowd was an indistinct rumble in his ears, barely audible over the pounding of his own heart. Genma had already wished him good luck and vanished from view so that the demons wouldn't come after him and invalidate the test—

Two of the five barred gates slowly ground upwards with tooth-rattling squeaks and groans. When the portcullis-like gates were fully opened and the metallic grinding noises stopped, Naruto could hear animalistic growls and snarls floating out of the dark tunnels. The boy felt sweat prickling at the back of his neck and his knees felt shaky, but he stood as tall as he could as he waited for his opponents to appear.

_So it's only two demons,_ he thought as he stared at the open gates. _That's half of what Neji had to deal with. It shouldn't be too bad…_

_ Right?_

With a sudden loud howl, a creature burst into the sunlight. It was a burly, furry quadruped roughly the size of an ox. It was mainly brown in color with narrow orange tiger-like stripes, a shaggy black mane, and a fluffy black tail. Long, curved teeth jutted from its black lips almost like boar tusks and bulging yellow eyes with slit pupils glowed from its squashed-looking face. It was part big cat, part dog, and all carnivorous demon.

_Komainu… lion-dog._

Then a second komainu shambled into view from the second tunnel, hissing angrily over its shoulder at ninjas just out of view that were driving it out into the arena. It was almost identical to the first demon beast, only it was slightly smaller and had a few ugly scars on its hide. When the two beasts caught sight of each other, they immediately bristled and squared off; trying to gauge which one was stronger and therefore would be the dominant one.

Fragments of the lesson on komainu swirled through his brain as he watched them. There were at least a dozen different species of komainu, if not more. They ranged in size from as small as a sheep to as large as a rhinoceros and came in all sorts of colors and patterns. Some had horns, some breathed fire, some had venomous bites, but all were powerful with sharp senses and excellent night vision.

_Okay, so…how do I kill these things again?_

They had dense manes and thick necks underneath them, and their hides were tough. He knew a few species had exploitable weaknesses like soft spots around the throat or underbelly. But he had no idea what kind of komainu they were.

_Shikamaru would know for sure; maybe Shino would, too. _ Naruto frowned as he watched the two demons posturing to each other. _All I know is that they're big and ugly. And they're definitely not the domesticated ones that monks breed to guard temples and shrines…_

The scarred komainu bowed its shaggy head to the burlier beast. Satisfied that it was acknowledged as top dog, it bellowed and turned to survey its new environment. Its large yellow eyes locked onto Naruto quickly and the demon hissed in surprise. Then it stalked towards him, with its scarred comrade trotting a few steps behind.

An icy shock of panic rushed over Naruto's body. Instead of taking cover in one of the small trees or bushes, or making some plan of attack, he'd just stood out in the open and puzzled over the komainu's exact species. Now they weren't distracted with each other anymore and to them he looked like lunch.

_Crap!_

* * *

Kushina fisted her hands on her knees, clenching her fingers so tightly that her knuckles bleached white. She wanted to do nothing more than to fly down there and destroy the beasts that threatened her son. But even if she could've found some way through that barrier that protected the primarily civilian crowd, she wouldn't be fast enough to be able to prevent anything. And if she had interfered, he would've been disqualified and embarrassed in front of his peers and the whole village.

So she sat stiffly in her seat and watched Naruto scrambled away from the snapping jaws of the komainu, choked with helplessness.

_Come on, Naruto…come on!_

* * *

Komainu had stocky bodies, but they were fast—like charging bears. They couldn't turn very well while they were sprinting, though. And that was the only thing that kept Naruto from being snapped up like a tasty snack.

When the closer beast was on his heels, Naruto would turn sharply so it would overshoot him. But just as he would shake it that way the second komainu, which was several steps behind the first, would adjust its course and the genin would be back in jeopardy. Without any real escape from his foes, it was just a matter of time before he got too tired and too slow to avoid being eaten.

_"Grraaooouu!"_ the scarred komainu bellowed as it tried to trip Naruto up with a swat of its broad paw.

Its sharp ivory claws only put a few tears in the edge of his new coat as he cut sharply right to escape its charge.

_Damn it!_

The fight was not turning out at all the way that he had wanted it to. Where Neji had been in total control, moving only when he wanted to, Naruto found himself running around like a headless chicken. If something didn't change soon, the proctor might have to bail Naruto out, which meant elimination from the Trials and utter failure.

_No!_

Naruto twisted away from the bigger komainu and slipped on a patch of bare dirt. The snarling beast put on the brakes and struggled to turn and pounce on him. But seconds before its attack could land, Naruto chucked a handful of dust and pebbles into its eyes and made it rear back with a shriek of pain.

"Take that!" the boy panted as he staggered to his feet and lurched away from the temporarily blinded demon.

Of course the scarred smaller demon was unaffected by Naruto's little attack and it closed in to pin the boy against the still-dangerous larger komainu. For a second, panic again chilled Naruto's veins and he almost bolted. But then a flash of an idea sparked in his brain and he grinned.

His hands snapped through a few seals—_ram, bird, rabbit_—and just as he was sandwiched between the scarred komainu and the blinded one, he shoved his hands palms down to the ground. An explosive gust of wind blasted down and outwards, kicking up a dense cloud of dust that completely obscured the boy and both demons. The pair of komainu howled and coughed in the dust pall, but whatever was going on inside was impossible to see…

Then the scarred Komainu burst back into view of the audience…with five different Narutos clinging to its body, trying their best to drive kunai blades into its orange-striped pelt. The lion-dog bucked and twisted, dislodging two of the boys and causing them to explode in puffs of white smoke. To destroy the remaining three, the demon flung itself to the ground and rolled around, crushing them into nothingness.

The dust was beginning to settle, revealing the bigger komainu still sneezing and coughing and a sixth Naruto crouching nearby.

Catching sight of its prey once more, the scarred demon roared and charged the boy. Naruto tried to jump aside, but the creature clamped its huge mouth around his middle. As it chomped down the genin shoved a kunai into its right eye—

_POOF!_

The sixth Naruto popped, revealing itself to be another bunshin. The scarred lion-dog didn't notice. It was too busy shrieking and flailing from its agonizing eye wound made by the genin's tagged kunai—

_ssh-BOOM!_

With a flash and a roar, the exploding tag dangling from the ring of the kunai went off, destroying the beast's eye and a chunk of its thick skull. The komainu jolted, bounced, and collapsed to the ground. It twitched so fitfully it looked alive, but its brain had been destroyed and once its heart gave out it would be completely dead.

Naruto allowed himself a silent fist pump in his hiding spot in one of the small trees near the arena wall.

_One down, one to go!_

Learning that his primary elemental affinity was actually wind, not fire, had been something of a let-down during his training. The four other major elements looked so much cooler and more dangerous. And for him to be able to generate any sort of magical wind, he had to be almost completely human otherwise his demonic fire nature would get in the way.

He hadn't wanted to waste time with any _fuuton_ techniques, but his father had insisted that he learn at least two basic jutsu. Unlike his blue _kitsune-bi_, his wind chakra was thoroughly un-demonic and safe to perform in front of other demon hunters. _Fuuton_ jutsu were also supposed to be incredibly deadly once mastered, and they provided an excellent defense against _raiton _attacks…for some reason.

_I guess it's a good thing I went along with the wind training._ Naruto shifted on his branch perch and forced down his elation so that he could focus on komainu number two. _And if Mom can get me a demonic dampening crystal like hers, it should be pretty easy to use wind whenever I want._

The remaining komainu had recovered from the dirt in its eyes and dust up its nose and was now warily scanning the arena. Its yellow eyes looked slightly orange from the irritation and it was either drooling or snot was dripping from its nose. And from all the snarling and growling it was doing, it was very pissed off.

_…It's too bad that was my only exploding tag._

Exploding tags were handy ninja tools, but they were also volatile and dangerous in inexperienced hands. Therefore, there were limits on who could have the special seal tags, and how many they could have at one time. Naruto, as a first-year genin with low grades, was only allowed one.

And he'd used it up.

_I need to think of something else…_

His beastly foe started to circle outwards, casting its head from side to side in search of any trace of the boy. The komainu was bristling as it slunk along, its fluffy black tail twitching at the tip like a cat's. Naruto watched it move with a sinking sensation as he reviewed the things he could do against the last komainu.

_I don't know any cutting wind techniques, I'm out of explosives, I can't cast too many more _kage bunshins,_ I can't use my fire…_ The blond genin sighed, letting his breath hiss through his teeth. _I guess…I'll have to do what I did in the Forest of Death. So long as I don't go any further I should be fine…_

_ I think._

* * *

Sasuke leaned against the metal railing of the observation area, his careless slouch hiding the tension in his muscles. It wasn't that he was deeply concerned by what could happen to Naruto; he wasn't. The atmosphere was electrified by everyone else's worry and he just couldn't help but feel it too, that was all.

All the Konoha-genin, especially those in Naruto's graduating class, knew how weak the blond's ninja skills were. Perhaps if he had been pitted against a pair of Green Imps he might've had a good chance of success. But to face off with a pair of Orange-Stripped Forest Komainu without any strong elemental jutsu, without any _kekkei genkai_, and without any heavy weapons the idiot seemed doomed to death.

As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke was rather impressed by how Naruto had dispatched the first komainu. He'd gone from running around like a scared rabbit being chased by dogs to blowing out the eye of one of the giant carnivores, dealing it a fatal blow. If Naruto managed to kill the other one without taking any serious damage, Sasuke might be willing to find some little compliment to mutter at him.

_He's halfway done…but he's never going to finish if he just keeps hiding in that tree._

The ex-Uchiha resisted the temptation to activate his Sharingan again to monitor his teammate's chakra signature. The more he used his _kekkei genkai_ outside of his own fight, the more chakra he wasted. And he hadn't come this far to blow it because he's overtaxed his eyes before he ever faced off against his own demons—

Naruto dropped from the tree he'd been sheltering in and charged the second komainu like a maniac. He was faster than before, sprinting low to the ground. The komainu noticed him and whirled to face him just as Naruto arced left just enough to avoid its snapping jaws and punch the enormous creature in the side of the head hard enough to make it stagger.

"Whoa!" Hisa the Taki-nin blurted out. "Where'd that fierceness come from?"

Sasuke briefly activate his spinning red eyes, slowing the action and sharpening the details until he could see the thicker whisker markings, claw-like nails, fangs, and vertically slitted pupils.

_He's doing that thing that he did in the Forest of Death again._

It had to have something to do with his lycanthropy, or…whatever he really was. Somehow—maybe because he was a werewolf through heredity instead of through cursed bite—he could access a partial transformation and fully control it. It made him faster and stronger—strong enough to make a stocky, ox-sized demon stagger with one little punch.

The komainu tried to shake off the surprisingly strong blow, but Naruto was already moving again. The little ninja slung himself underneath the creature's belly and stuck it with a kunai while he was under there. It howled and bucked and Naruto was on its right side now, slicing at the back of its right hind leg trying to hamstring it.

"He's really going at it," Shikamaru muttered. "Troublesome."

Sasuke turned off his Sharingan before he forgot that it was still on—

The lion-dog twisted around with speed that belied its bulk and snapped at Naruto's head. Naruto rolled out of reach, abandoning his tendon attack, and dashed around behind it until he could slice at its left flank just behind the shoulder. The komainu snapped left, only for Naruto to dive under its jaws and drive his second kunai into its neck as he came up on the other side.

It raged on that way for several minutes—the komainu would react to whatever small attack Naruto launched and the boy would dart out of range with his superior speed to attack again. Naruto seemed to have the upper hand, but with his small kunai he just wasn't doing enough damage to the demon. If he didn't pull off something deadly, like the exploding tag to the eye that he'd dispatched the first one with, he was going to run out of energy and lose.

"The death by a thousand cuts is sort of impressive if you can pull it off, but really impractical," Shin the other Taki-genin remarked, fingering the hilt of one of his long knives.

Sasuke silently agreed with the foreigner's comment.

In the arena below, Naruto continued his speedy attacks that kept the komainu off-balance. He switched to shuriken to conserve his small supply of kunai, but the small throwing stars had an even harder time doing damage to the demon. The best strike that he managed was a shuriken to one of the beast's eyes, which half-blinded it.

Then, as the komainu made another lunge for the genin with its jaws open wide, Naruto flung a shuriken that whizzed down his foe's throat.

The komainu skidded to a halt and coughed, bringing up a spray of blood. It gagged and hacked and tossed its shaggy head, but it couldn't clear its gullet of the sharp object. The wound could potentially be fatal if the sharp arms of the star nicked a major blood vessel. But komainu were tough creatures and it was equally possible that it could cough the shuriken up, heal, and survive.

Naruto crouched a few yards away and watched the beast struggle. He seemed to hesitate for a minute or two before charging the monster head-on. Sasuke and the others didn't have the best view of what he was doing as his back was to them, but the ex-Uchiha guessed that he was readying a jutsu. And then there was a blast of air that kicked up a small cloud of dust around the beast.

_That wind attack again,_ Sasuke determined as he watched. _Instead of aiming it down at the ground to hide, it looks like he aimed down the demon's throat. That could burst its lungs or stomach…if he's lucky._

Distracted by the weapon in its throat, the komainu was caught completely by surprise by Naruto's attack. It reared back with a gurgle and staggered backwards several steps. The beast wheezed and vomited a gush of bright blood before collapsing into a shuddering, gasping heap.

The young ninja hesitated again, apparently trying to decide whether he needed to attack the creature again or if he should just wait for it to expire. Genma the proctor reappeared and strolled up to the creature, studying it carefully. After a moment's contemplation he nodded and brought out his microphone to make an announcement to the tensely quiet crowd.

_"One kill, one mortal wound for Naruto,"_ the jounin's voice declared over the PA system. _"Once the field is cleared the next fight will begin!"_

Cheers erupted from the stands as the tension broke.

"Naruto-san has done it!" Lee cried, bouncing a little in excitement.

"Barely," Neji said disdainfully. "Such a poor performance against so few targets will earn him a poor score."

"Bad start," Shin remarked. "Better finish."

"I hope I don't have to fight any komainu, those things look mean," Hisa worried.

"Not many ninja in Konoha have wind as their elemental affinity," Shikamaru sighed. "Finding a tutor for him will be troublesome."

"Hmm," Shino hummed and adjusted his shades.

All Dosu had to say was: "He survived…too bad."

Sasuke kept leaning against the rail and watched as Naruto soaked in the audience's applause and cheers before Genma prompted him to get moving so that the carcasses could be removed.

_He did alright…for the dead-last in the class._

* * *

Kushina burst from her seat to cheer and dance a little as soon as the proctor announced his decision. Everyone else was cheering too, enthusiastic over the triumphant underdog. The red-head celebrated a bit longer than most of the people in her section before allowing Mikoto to tug her back down into her chair.

"That was great!" she grinned. _He scared me a bit, though, with that awful start._

"So he's wind-element?" Mikoto commented. "Like Minato?"

"Yep!" Kushina nodded as she watched the dead komainu being loaded into the cart for removal. "He didn't think it was that great, though."

"I'm sure he feels differently now," the Uchiha woman replied.

The second komainu still had a bit of fight left in it, despite its grievous wound. So instead of just loading the creature onto the cart like they had with the chameleon demon that Neji had mortally wounded, they stabbed the second lion-dog with long spears first. When it stopped breathing, they heaved the hefty creature into the cart with the first one and towed it away.

"So, who's up next?" Kushina wondered.

"Sasuke," Mikoto quietly replied.

"Oh." Kushina settled back in her seat. "Well he'll do fine. The question is will he perform more impressively than Neji."

Mikoto said nothing; she just stared down into the arena waiting for her son to appear.

* * *

Hinata forced her fingers to uncurl and was surprised to find that her nails hadn't pierced her palms. She'd felt little anxiety when her cousin had battled; she knew that he was strong. But Naruto wasn't strong like her cousin and so she'd been on pin and needles from the moment that the komainu entered into the arena.

"It was alright," Kiba commented grudgingly. "Neji's fight was a lot better."

"I guess," Chouji agreed between mouthfuls of chips.

"Naruto survived, and now it's time to watch Sasuke-kun!" Ino squealed, bouncing in her seat.

"Is that all you're looking forward to?" Tenten asked.

"Well, I'm here to cheer Shikamaru on, too," Ino shrugged. "But seeing Sasuke-kun in action…" The blonde shivered and smiled broadly. "Eee, I have goose bumps!"

"Ino-pig," Sakura grumbled. "It's not _that_ big a deal."

"You only say that because you're on his team and you get to see him fight all the time!" Ino shot back.

Hinata tuned out their brewing argument and waited patiently for the next match to begin.

_Sasuke-san will do well, I'm sure…but he'll have to work hard to do better than Neji-nii-san did._

* * *

Naruto was tired, but he felt like dancing as he climbed the stairs back to the observation area where his fellow competitors waited.

He'd done it. He'd won! He'd taken down two big, bad, meat-eating demons and barely come out with a scratch.

_ I am awesome!_

There were a few words of congratulations when he rejoined the other genin, but it wasn't anything like all the cheers he'd received from the crowd. Lee was the most openly happy to see him, thumping him on the shoulder so hard that Naruto stumbled. The rest either nodded to him like Shino and Shikamaru, glanced at him curiously like the Taki-nin, or were utterly indifferent to him like Neji and the bandage-covered Dosu.

Sasuke said nothing as he slipped away down the stairs to take his turn in the arena.

"Knock those demons dead!" Naruto yelled after him anyway.

The black-haired boy hesitated a step, and then kept on going like he hadn't heard anything.

"So, what do you think he'll have to fight?" Naruto asked as he sidled up to Shikamaru.

"Something similar to what Neji dealt with, probably," the Nara boy shrugged.

Just as Sasuke reached the center of the arena, the gates started to open to release his opponents. Like with Neji, four of the five gates lifted. The crowd, which had been a bit rowdy since Naruto's come-from-behind victory, quieted in anticipation.

A hulking Yellow Imp shambled into view first, its large drum tucked under one thick arm. It was the largest of the Asiatic Imp varieties. They were burrowers, which was surprising considering their size. Yellow Imps liked to hide underground to ambush people, and they used their drums to create localized earthquakes and fire blasts of compressed demonic wind.

Two Blue Imps appeared next. They had long, spidery limbs, and leathery flaps of skin like flying squirrels that allowed them to glide or hover over their prey. Their chosen instruments were whistles that doubled as blow-guns which could fire poisonous pellets. They were fragile, but their limited flight capabilities made them tricky targets to hit.

And from the fourth open gate came…nothing.

"Another lesser chameleon demon," Shikamaru predicted.

"He'll see that no problem with his Sharingan," Naruto said.

"All of those demons will test his Sharingan," Shikamaru replied boredly. "The worst will probably be the Yellow Imp. The Sharingan can't see through things like dirt."

"Yeah," Naruto nodded as he watched the imps take notice of Sasuke and start to move in on him. "He'll still kick ass and make us all look bad. The bastard."

"Troublesome," the Nara muttered, rolling his eyes.

"It has begun!" Lee said, pointing into the arena.

The Yellow Imp had vanished from sight, leaving only a large hole where it had burrowed down into the earth from. The Blue Imps had leapt upwards and were now hanging in the air, hovering through a combination of their skin flaps and their limited magical abilities. And the probably chameleon demon was still invisible to most observers.

Sasuke, the former Uchiha, stood ready to meet them.


	50. MisTrial

**Chapter 49**

_Mis-Trial_

Sasuke felt no fear as he hurled himself against his demonic opponents. Fighting demons was what he had been trained to do since he was old enough to hold a kunai. Now it was time to put his skills to the test and prove he was good enough to become a chuunin.

He took down the Blue Imps first. Activating his Sharingan, he hurled two kunai, one for each floating demon. The diamond-shaped blades buried themselves into the creatures' throats and they crashed to the ground moments after they'd gone airborne. He paid them no more mind as they writhed and gurgled, choking on their own blood as they expired, and shifted his focus to his next target.

The genjutsu-cloaked lesser chameleon was the next creature he attacked. His spinning red eyes easily located the creature and he moved in for a little close combat. When it tried to snag him with its long, sticky tongue, his enhanced vision slowed down the whip-like appendage so that he had no trouble dodging it, and then slicing it in half. As the demon lizard hissed and flailed in agony, he aimed a fireball down its vulnerable throat. While its scaly hide was tough, its insides were not and the single shot mortally wounded it, causing it to collapse to the dirt and lose its genjutsu cloak—

The Yellow Imp burst out of the ground underneath his feet and Sasuke barely flipped out of harm's way in time. The hulking, gorilla-ish demon swung one of its stubby log-sized drumsticks at him before it started beating on its half-buried drum. As the tempo rose, the ground surrounding the creature started to shiver.

Before it could reach a deadly crescendo, Sasuke backpedaled out of range while tying the end of a length of ninja wire to one of his shuriken. As it raised both its drumstick for the final bash which would trigger an intense earthquake, he flung the shuriken and wire, binding the beast's wrists. Startled, the imp stopped its attack and Sasuke blew a stream of fire down the wire, charring his foe's meaty hands and ugly face.

Howling in agony, the imp lurched out of the ground and staggered around blindly as its hands and head still burned. Without its drum, with its hands bound, and blinded, it seemed like an easy kill. But the demon was heavy and strong and when Sasuke dashed in close to try and sink a kunai into its heart it snapped the wire around its wrists and almost clobbered him with a wild swing.

His Sharingan saved him though, and with a little ducking a weaving he got in close and drove in one of his blades. With a pained cry of surprise, the Yellow Imp stopped, staggered, and fell backwards. After a few last wheezes, it was still.

The Yellow Imp was dead. The Lesser Chameleon Demon was dead. The two Blue Imps were dead.

Sasuke had done it more efficiently than Naruto. He'd done it faster than Neji had. The crowd exploded in cheers even before Genma could make the official announcement of the ex-Uchiha's victory.

_That was a real demon fight,_ he thought as the proctor gave his official decision, not that anyone could really hear it. _A real challenge. Not like that stupid extermination job with that hive of demon insects Kakashi-sensei had me roast—_

It was so cold it burned like fire. The agony exploded from the curse mark and spread all over his body in seconds. He grabbed at the spot and fell to his knees.

_Why is it hurting? That ANBU's seal should be helping… But it's like it's gone!_

Sasuke could do nothing but scream until the darkness rose up and swallowed him.

* * *

Naruto instantly forgot any envious thoughts he'd had over Sasuke's nearly effortless victory as soon as the black-haired boy collapsed in screaming agony. All the genin in the waiting area crowded against the railing as they watched the proctor jog over to Sasuke's side. The roaring spectators were suddenly much quieter and the air was thick with tension.

"None of those demons landed a hit on him," Shin frowned. "So why's he screaming like that?"

"Was there a fifth demon?" Hisa wondered.

"Only four gates opened; therefore, only four demons were released," Shino responded, adjusting his ever-present shades.

"Well then how—is his skin turning gray?" the Taki kunoichi squawked.

Naruto leaned further over the rail, squinting and shifting his eyes to improve his vision a little bit. Sure enough, Sasuke's skin was turning a pale gray. And his hair had lightened from solid black to a deep slate gray, and it looked like it was getting longer.

"What the hell?" Naruto scowled as Genma took a step back from Sasuke's prone form. "That's…not normal."

"I'm guessing that's no secret Uchiha clan technique," Shin muttered, grasped the hilt of one of his long knives.

"Perhaps Sasuke-san is suffering from an ailment similar to what my teammate suffered in the Forest of Death," Shino speculated.

"Maybe this is what got Sasuke disowned by his clan," Shikamaru theorized.

"Most likely," Neji agreed. "The Uchiha clan is very proud. No taint is permitted."

Naruto tilted his head slightly in confusion as he watched Sasuke squirm and curl into a tighter ball. _Could that nasty snakebite mark be doing this to him? But, I thought he had that thing taken care of…_

And then it started snowing…feathers.

* * *

While the crowd's excited cheers dissolved into worried stares and anxious whispers, Kabuto watched the genin's agony with calm detachment. The silver-haired young man edged deeper into the shadow of the pillar he'd been standing near and started forming hand seals. When the sequence was complete, fluffy white feathers materialized in the air all around the stadium, drifting down like snow.

The primarily civilian crowd grew quiet as people by the hundreds fell under the genjutsu spell and slipped into a deep slumber. Many lesser ninja also fell for the trick, collapsing unconscious before they realized what was going on. A few of the ninja in charge of maintaining the barrier around the arena pit even fell victim to the genjutsu, causing it to collapse. In minutes only the elite ninja and those prepared for the false feather snow were still awake.

Kabuto adjusted his glassed and turned his gaze up to the highest VIP box where the Hokage was seated.

_Any second now…_

* * *

Mangetsu frowned at the television screen. Sasuke was down and it looked like his curse mark was the cause. But that shouldn't be possible with the seal he'd surrounded the mark with. It was highly unlikely that Sasuke had willed the seal to fail; he'd already won his battle handily. So…perhaps it had been tampered with?

_It looks like I'll have to go down there once he's off the field and re-seal—_

ANBU's radio channels blazed to life. A massive genjutsu was being cast on the stadium, which the closed circuit cameras couldn't detect as illusions only existed in the minds of those targeted. Enemy ninja were appearing out of the crowd. And something was going on in or around the Hokage's box—the messages were coming in hard and fast and overlapping each other, so it was difficult to pick out what they were saying.

_Scratch that, it seems that Sasuke will have to wait._

* * *

As soon as the genjutsu activated, the Hokage broke its hold over him and was on his feet. His two ANBU guards had their weapons out and ready for an attempt on their leader's life. But it seemed that the Hokage was not the immediate target.

"_Hrk!_"

Hiruzen turned just in time to see the jounin-sensei of the Taki-genin get speared by several white blades. One of the strange weapons had pierced his heart, and several others had stabbed through his lungs. The man was dead before he even finished crumpling to the ground.

The assassin was the young sensei of the Oto-genin. The sickly-looking Oto-nin had the odd blades attached to his forearm. In fact…they looked like modified bones bursting thought the young man's skin.

_That's a _kekkei genkai_ from Kirigakure,_ he noted. _That clan supposedly went rogue and was eliminated several years ago… It looks like Orochimaru might have found a survivor._

One of his ANBU moved to try and subdue the Oto-nin while the second stayed close—

Several small explosions went off and the balcony was quickly enveloped in thick black smoke. Briefly disoriented by the loud bangs and the dense smoke, the Hokage had little chance to escape the hands the grabbed him around the neck and dragged him up to the red-tile roof at the highest point of the stadium. Before more ANBU could arrive to save him, a square barrier was raised around most of the roof, generated by four young Oto-nin, one in each corner.

The old Sarutobi frowned down at the flowing, intricately embroidered sleeve that was tucked snuggly under his throat, holding him immobile.

"It doesn't suit you…Orochimaru."

"That's what I thought," his old student's soft dry voice hissed in his ear. "But beggars can't be choosers."

The Hokage grimaced and then stabbed a blade at his captor's middle while ducking down and away, escaping as the half-demon moved away from the sharp kunai. Hiruzen shed his hat and red-and-white formal robes as he moved, revealing his black battle attire and hitai-ate helmet that he'd been wearing underneath. He opened up a gap between himself and his attacker and started a brief stand-off.

He considered attacking the Oto-nin that has set up the barrier that kept him cut off from his ANBU and trapped with Orochimaru, but they were smart and skilled. The Oto-nin had not only generated barriers to keep him contained, but they had also sealed themselves off so no one from inside could harm them. One of his ANBU tried to crash through the barrier, but he was repelled and his cloak caught fire from the explosion of energy.

_No escape…unless I win._

His gaze turned to his wayward student. The half-demon had cloaked himself in the skin of some wealthy merchant. Orochimaru smiled the doughy face he was wearing before peeling the flesh away, revealing the narrow reptilian features that Hiruzen was familiar with.

"I almost didn't bother with skinning that Gouki fellow," the half-snake said conversationally. "But I decided not to risk it. As angry as the Uchiha are right now, I can't count on them to not be paying attention."

"Orochimaru…why bother with this?" Hiruzen asked tiredly. "You have your own village to rule now."

"It's petty and disgustingly human, but I want vengeance," Orochimaru shrugged, almost cheerful. "You denied me the position I desired and cast me out like trash just because I sought knowledge."

"You experimented on civilians, on orphaned children!" the Hokage retorted. "You betrayed the village you swore to protect and serve!"

"Sacrifices must sometimes be made in order to expand our knowledge," Orochimaru replied, unconcerned as he shed the dead man's form and attire, returning to his usual appearance.

"I must say that my greatest regret as Hokage was in allowing you to escape instead of killing you that night," the old man sighed before steeling his nerves for battle.

"You should probably never have taught me to be a demon-hunting ninja," Orochimaru smiled coldly. "As a hanyou, I am superior to most purely human hunters. And through my hunts I have seen the ugliness in humanity, and the pure power of demonkind. Was there any other way that I could turn out?"

Sorrow weighed heavily in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart. He couldn't forget the innocent boy that Orochimaru been. He couldn't reconcile how the bright boy, filled with raw talent, the thirst for knowledge, and the drive to do _good_ could turn into the wicked creature that stood before him now…

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Both ninja flinched and turned, seeking the mysterious third speaker. It looked like they were the only two people within the barrier. But then Orochimaru leapt backwards as the air where he had been standing shimmered.

"Drat, I missed!"

The shimmering air solidified into…a shabby old beggar. The old man was almost completely covered in a dark, tattered, mud-stained cloak. He was bent over and leaning heavily on a gnarled walking stick.

"…An old man?" Orochimaru hissed warily.

_That voice…_ Hiruzen eyed the figure cautiously. _Where have I heard that voice before?_

"Surprised?" the beggar chuckled. "I'm sure that you'll suffer plenty more surprises before this is all over."

"…Kaito-san," the Hokage said, finally putting his mental finger on the identity of the speaker.

Furukawa Kaito had been one of the previous emissaries from Uzushiogakure no Sato, one of Uzumaki Kushina's predecessors. He'd been on duty in Konoha since before Hiruzen had been elevated to Hokage and had retired about five years before Kushina had come to take over his post. Considering how old he was supposed to be, Kaito should either be dead, or bedridden and near death.

_But he's a Kitsune,_ the Hokage reminded himself. _He has a lot longer to live before old age really catches up with him. Perhaps I should've expected him to come…_

The "old beggar" straightened up and shed his cloak. Kaito (or at least his human form) didn't look a year older than he had the last day he'd been in Konoha decades ago. The crow's feet around his eyes weren't any deeper, there was the same amount of white in his hair, and his mangled ear was still his only notable scar. He even dressed the same—an older-style blue uniform with a gray modern flak vest. The only thing he was missing was his Uzushio hitai-ate.

"Furukawa Kaito…" Orochimaru narrowed his golden serpent eyes thoughtfully. "I suppose your next big surprise is that you are part of a faction of Uzushio that remains allied with Konoha." He snorted a little. "That's not much of a surprise. I never believed for a second that the entire village of Uzushiogakure no Sato was fully behind the Kurohi clan's desire to destroy the Leaf."

"No," Kaito shook his head and removed a crystalline necklace from under his shirt, tucked it into a little velvet bag, and put that into his weapon pouch. "No, that's not it. …I don't suppose that you ever found out where those Kitsune children you received came from, did you?"

"Kitsune are extinct, Kaito-san," Orochimaru replied.

"Poor little Naga," Kaito sighed. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

And then he dissolved into fog that swept over the enclosed section of the rooftop.

"Oh you and your illusions," the half-snake sneered and went about destroying the genjutsu.

But once Orochimaru had banished the fog, Kaito remained invisible. The hanyou broke the second layer of the illusion, only to be greeted by a third layer—an explosion of angry giant wasps. And once that was dispelled the Uzushio-nin was revealed again, now standing several yards to the left and closer to the Hokage and his attacker than he had been previously.

Furukawa Katio's ninja specialties were disguise and illusion. He could layer genjutsu several illusions deep, so no high-level demon or rogue ninja could catch on to him until it was too late. Unfortunately Orochimaru knew how Kaito operated and so he kept digging through the layers until he found what he was looking for.

"You should try something new, old man," Orochimaru chuckled darkly.

"Oh, but I am," Kaito replied.

Five blue fireballs materialized in the air around him with an eerie crackle. Orochimaru snorted and tried to dispel this new illusion. But the fiery orbs didn't vanish.

Hiruzen hopped further away from his former student to what he hopped would be a safer distance.

"You really have no idea…" Kaito grimaced, and then with a sharp gesture sent the _kitsune-bi_ whizzing towards the founder of Otogakure no Sato.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke fell down screaming, Mikoto was out of her seat and looking for a way to get to him. Kushina muttered obscenities under her breath as she tried to follow through the crowded stands. But before they could make it to any staircases that would get them to the ground level, it started to snow feathers.

"What's this?" Mikoto frowned, her Sharingan active as she stopped and looked around at the sleeping civilians around her.

"Nothing good," Kushina growled. "Get ready."

"Ready for what?"

A few rows back a "civilian" shed his coat and hat to unveil himself as an Oto ninja. He drew a kunai and lunged for the nearest targets—which happened to be them. Kushina snatched a drink cup from the loose grip of a nearby dozing spectator and hurled it at the charging man's face. Before the Oto-nin could recover from the distraction, Mikoto was on him, stealing the kunai from his hand and driving it into the side of his neck.

"Have I ever told you that I'm insanely jealous of your Sharingan skills?" Kushina asked.

"Several times," Mikoto responded, wiping traces of blood onto the dying man's sleeve.

"Well I'll say it again," the red-head sighed. "I'm insanely jealous of your Sharingan skills. Why can't _I_ have slow-mo vision?"

"Because you'd probably find all sorts of ways to abuse it," the dark-haired woman replied, glancing around.

"Not necessarily," the Uzumaki argued.

"…There are a lot of them," the Uchiha said.

All over the stadium false civilians were shedding their disguises and going on the attack. They outnumbered the active Konoha ninja at least two-to-one, if not by a larger margin. The Oto-nin were out for blood and the Leaf's defenders were hard-pressed to hold their own. And somewhere up in the VIP sections, there was an explosion.

"Do you want to go down the side of the arena instead of the stairs?" Kushina asked.

"Yes, that would probably be faster," Mikoto nodded.

A trio of Oto-nin bounded converged on them, bounding along the tops of stadium chairs with weapons ready.

"So let's trash these jerks and get going!" Kushina declared, drawing one of her concealed weapons.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Mikoto muttered.

* * *

Naruto frowned at the snow of feathers.

_What the hell? How can it snow feathers? Where are those things coming from?_

He squinted at the fluffy white things as they drifted down. He could barely tell that they were feathers. It was like they were out of focus and half-see-through. And for some funny reason he was starting to feel drowsy as he watched them…

_Oh, it's a genjutsu!_ Naruto shook himself, clapped his hands together, flared his chakra, and shed the illusion's hold over him. _Duh!_

Blinking his fox eyes, he turned his attention to the other genin waiting with him in the observation area. Shikamaru was sleeping on the floor and Shino was leaning up against the concrete wall, also apparently napping. But Neji, Lee, Shin, Hisa, and Dosu were all still awake.

"Should we wake them up?" the Taki kunoichi asked, gesturing towards Shino and Shikamaru.

"If they can't detect and dispel an obvious genjutsu, they are no asset in battle," Neji said. "Let them be—"

An explosion from somewhere up in the stadium seating brought all of those still conscious leaning over the rail and looking upwards. It was directly above them and with the high walls of the arena it was hard to see anything but some dark smoke. The barrier that sealed off the arena from the crowd was collapsing and the parts of the stands that they could see were erupting into battles between Konoha ninja and strangers wearing purple-tinged outfits.

"What the hell is going on?" Shin demanded, staring at Neji.

"I have no idea," the Hyuuga replied, a slight edge in his voice.

"This is obviously not Konoha's doing!" Lee declared.

Shin clenched his teeth. "So you don't know what's going on in your own vil—"

"Oh my god!" Hisa squeaked and pointed frantically down into the arena. "Look! Look at that!"

Naruto followed the older girl's pointing and saw that Sasuke's…transformation…had taken an extreme turn. The back of his shirt was torn open and a pair of hideous wing-like things had sprouted from his shoulders. They were like bat wings, only stubbier and the "fingers" were thick and tipped with claws.

"That…is really, _really_ not normal," Naruto swallowed. _Is there such a thing as a were-bat?_

Sasuke sat up suddenly and staggered to his feet. He stretched out his altered body and flapped his new wings experimentally. And then he turned around slowly, staring up at the high arena walls.

When Naruto caught a glimpse of his teammate's face, he recoiled. The ex-Uchiha had black markings under his eyes and black lips with sharp protruding fangs. But his eyes were the freakiest. His irises had turned yellow, and the whites of his eyes were pitch black.

The Proctor, who had been distracted in observing what was going on in the stands up above, was now talking to Sasuke. But the transformed genin didn't react well to whatever the jounin told him. He jumped away from the adult and raced towards the towering concrete walls. Flapping his ugly wings he managed to get halfway up it before losing lift and attaching himself to the side of the arena with chakra. Genma moved to pursue him, but a couple of the mysterious attackers dropped down into the arena pit and started to engage him.

"Where's he going?" Naruto wondered as he watched Sasuke making his escape. "What's he doing?"

"He must be stopped," Neji decided. "He doesn't appear to be in his right mind."

"I agree," Lee nodded.

"None of you will be going anywhere," Dosu told them.

Naruto turned to scowl at the bandage-shrouded Oto-genin. "What do you me—"

The horrible ringing sound from the Forest of Death resonated throughout the balcony. The ground seemed to tilt and buck under Naruto's feet and he half-collapsed, hanging onto the railing for dear life as he tried not to puke. Someone actually did start throwing up from their vertigo but Naruto couldn't tell who.

Dosu calmly lowered the metal gauntlet that had generated the balance-destroying sound, drew a kunai, and marched over to Neji. He planted his foot between the Hyuuga's shoulder blades, grabbed his long brown hair, and pulled back to bare the genin's throat. The Oto-nin brought the blade to Neji's neck with a cold glint in his visible eye.

"No one will interfere with Orochimaru-sama's plans."


	51. Invasion!

**Chapter 50**

_Invasion!_

Isamu struggled mightily not to fidget as he and his squad oversaw a group of Oto-nin preparing for a summoning. It was possible to summon a demon bound to a contract without having signed that contract, but it was so difficult that it was rarely done. However, Orochimaru had gone through all the trouble of creating the dozens of small scrolls and instructing the necessary ninjas in how to form the circle so that one of his giant snakes could open the wall for them.

This was the last place that Isamu wanted to be. He was minutes away from getting involved in a real fight where he could die. And the idea of dying terrified him.

_I wish I never met Yuudai!_ a tiny voice in the back of his mind wailed. _I never wanted this "honor"—to be in the first wave. Why couldn't I have the honor of defending the village while all the crazy, fearless foxes attack Konoha?_

But Yuudai had assigned him this task and he had no choice but to follow through with it. If he backed out, Yuudai would punish him. Death would be a kindness compared to what he could expect if he betrayed his leader in any way.

He thought of the poor alcoholic two-tails he'd watched Yuudai casually send off to Orochimaru's lab and what it must've been like for the old man to be sliced open and studied while he'd still been alive, and he shuddered.

…_I never thought he'd get this far._

A signal was passed to the circle of Oto-nin and they activated the summoning circle that they'd formed with their bodies and the scrolls draped over their laps. There was an enormous explosion of white smoke and as it cleared a gigantic lesser snake demon was revealed. It had odd patterns on its scales and two hissing heads. The dual-headed serpent got its bearings and then slithered towards Konohagakure no Sato's towering eastern wall. And when it reached that wall, it battered its way through with its enormous coils, forming a gap for the Oto-nin and Isamu and his small squad to get inside.

_If I had known this could happen, I would never have been his friend._

He drew a kunai with a sweaty, trembling hand, and joined the other shinobi in rushing through the demolished wall.

_But it's too late now…much too late._

* * *

In the sky to the north of Konoha, dozens of flocks of crow tengu wheeled and cawed. At their heart glided nearly fifty eagle tengu—fierce eyes glazed and empty. Metal shackles weighed down their forearms and metal collars hung around their necks. Ordinarily the independent and aggressive eagle demons would never gather in such numbers, and never tolerate the crows that fluttered around them. But nothing about what was going on was ordinary.

Signal tags clutched in the claws of some crow tengu went off and the black-feathered horde immediately soared towards the Leaf Village, the eagles gliding clumsily in their wake. The plunder and chaos long promised to them was finally at hand and they were very eager to get started. Once they crossed over the outer walls, scores of crow demons dove down into the streets to steal whatever sparkling things they could find and attack the few civilians not in the village stadium.

A small selection of crows reminded high in the sky. They were the controllers of the eagle tengu and when they spied a clump of ninja they released their charges. Suddenly no longer docile, the eagle tengu plummeted towards their targets with shrieks of fury and madness. The man-sized demon birds struck with razor claws and hooked beaks and some carried their foes aloft only to drop them from heights that were fatal.

The air rang with eagle screams, hoarse crow caws, and the terrified shrieks of humans, and it was only just beginning.

* * *

At Konoha's western wall shadowy shapes scuttled out of the brush and started scaling them. More than a hundred spider demons rubbed dripping fangs together as they anticipated the human prey they would find beyond this stone barrier. These were not the sort of spider demons that spun webs and waited behind illusions to trap their prey; they were the kind that ran down their food and only used silk to carry off their catches.

Normally they didn't strike deals with food. But fox meat tasted bitter. Human flesh tasted far sweeter, and usually was much easier to obtain. So when foxes had promised them all the humans they could eat and more, each one of them had decided to go along with it.

Now it was time to move. The arachnids flowed over the walls, pouncing on the small number of shinobi that had been patrolling it. Covering the corpses with silk for later collection, the spider demons rushed down the walls and into the village streets seeking for more food.

It was entering into autumn now and even though it rarely snowed in winter the season was still a leaner time for them, so any extra food now was more than welcome.

* * *

To Konoha's south were the werewolves. There were roughly eighty of them, most of them under Uzushio control. They sat motionless, drooling, and unnaturally calm. But that was only because of the seal-stamped collars around their necks and shackles hanging on their wrists.

The werewolves' handlers waited nearby. Some were tense as they paced and fidgeted. Others lounged around with the only outward sign of anxiety were their fingering of the control cuffs. When the signal for action came through all of the ninja were on their feet and ready for action.

Channeling chakra through their control cuffs, they set their captive werewolves shambling towards Konoha's southern wall. A few yards from the base of the wall, the controllers adjusted some of the seals on their cuffs. The change turned the beasts from docile and drooling into maddened berserkers.

The cursed beasts broke into a dead sprint and attacked the wall. They dug their claws into the tiny cracks between bricks and surged upwards. When they reached the top of the wall they shredded a small Konoha patrol unfortunate enough to be in their way before they spilled down into the village.

They poured into the streets like a murderous flood of teeth and claws. Werewolves that were 'normal' would never charge into any human settlement—let alone one the size of Konoha that was protected by such a massive wall—the way that these beasts were. These werewolves felt no fear, no fatigue, no pain. All they knew was rage and hunger and the need to destroy, and as long as their bodies would move they would fight.

Following a safe distance behind them, their controllers smiled ugly smiles.

* * *

Uchiha Fugaku sat in the garden behind his home and meditated. He wasn't entirely sure what he should do with himself now that he was no longer in direct control of the Military Police. Izuna was now the official chief of the Military Police, but in reality he was barely more than a figurehead who made few judgment calls himself. Every important decision was brought before Fugaku for approval or rejection.

However, now that he was no longer immersed in all the minute details of the Military Police, he found himself with the odd hour here and there where he didn't even have clan business to occupy his time. His free time felt even more pronounced with his immediate family out of the house. Itachi spent all his waking hours at his desk in the Military Police headquarters or out on patrol, Mikoto had moved in with her disgraceful foreign friend, and Sasuke—

Fugaku grimaced and struggled to clear his mind. He had many problems that needed solutions and he couldn't let himself be distracted by things which couldn't be changed. So he rubbed briefly at the eye-patch which covered his lost eye and reapplied himself to considering his clan's recent…difficulties.

_Assassination seems to be the best way to go,_ he mused, closing his remaining eye. _Sarutobi shows no signs of stepping down. He doesn't even have a successor lined up… That could work in our favor. Any successor that he selects will doubtless have similar weaknesses. If Sarutobi can be removed without a successor, we have a chance to putting forward a proper candidate to the daimyo._

_ But should it be done as soon as we formulate a plan of action that will keep us above suspicion, or months down the line? Time could improve our situation a—_

"Fugaku-sama!"

The one-eyed Uchiha frowned and turned to see Izuna striding around the side of his house. His cousin was a few years younger than he was and an iron-willed, loyal member of the Uchiha. One look at Izuna's face was all Fugaku needed to know that something serious was going on.

"Yes?" Fugaku prompted as his kinsman drew to his side.

"Konoha is under attack," Izuna said without preamble. "It started in the stadium, and now all the outer walls are under assault. So far we have reports of demon crows and eagles, spider demons, werewolves, at least one giant snake summon, and ninja of Otogakure no Sato. There has also been one unconfirmed report of Uzushio-nin participation. Shall I pass the order along for all Uchiha to withdraw to defend clan lands?"

Fugaku considered it for a minute before reluctantly shaking his head. "No, we are to defend the village as a whole."

"Why?" Izuna demanded, his eyes glittering with dark fury. "They have insulted, belittled, and threatened us. Why should we risk our warriors' lives to defend them?"

"Abandoning them, regardless of how justified it would be, would only inspire the rest of the village to take further steps against us. It could even lead to a civil war, which would cause pointless loss of life." Fugaku stiffly rose to his feet. "However, in defending them, we remind Konoha at large how much they need us. It has been a very long time since this village has engaged in full scale war and they have forgotten how vital the Uchiha clan is to its existence."

Izuna hesitated, then nodded. "I'll send out the orders now."

"Good," Fugaku smiled thinly. "I will go wait in my old office for updates."

With another nod, Izuna departed at a run.

Fugaku watched him go for a moment before jogging off to the headquarters of the Military Police.

_An invasion, how…convenient. Depending on how it turns out we might scrape up enough gratitude to force Sarutobi to back off. Or perhaps he'll end up dying in the fighting._

_ Either outcome is perfectly acceptable._

* * *

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Dosu started to slice Neji's neck open. The tip of his blade started just under the Hyuuga's left ear as was dragged brutally towards the right—

Dosu froze, slight tremors quivering along his arm, just before he could slice open Neji's jugular. Naruto blinked dizzily and tried to see why he'd stopped, but he couldn't spot any reason. He swallowed hard and struggled to his knees so that he could hopefully tackle Dosu before the Oto-genin could start up again.

"Release me!" Dosu snarled.

_What the hell?_ Naruto wondered. _Who's he talking to?_

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

Naruto jumped slightly and snapped his head over to where Shikamaru had been sleeping. The Nara boy was now awake (if he'd ever been asleep at all) and had used his shadow technique to paralyze Dosu. And now Shikamaru was standing, careful to move so that Dosu would be forced to pull the kunai from Neji's neck without causing further damage.

"Why couldn't you have let me sleep?" Shikamaru complained.

"Release me!" Dosu repeated, his one visible eye narrowed in hatred.

"Not yet," was Shikamaru's lazy response.

Naruto frowned, puzzled…and then he saw the bugs. Tiny beetles were streaming up Dosu's legs and disappearing into the gaps in his clothing and bandages. And the little beetles were pouring out of Shino's coat. Apparently the Aburame hadn't been asleep either, and although Dosu's sonic attack had taken him to his knees he was still functioning enough to siphon away the Oto-genin's chakra.

Neji wheezed and wriggled out from under Dosu, clamping a hand to the very bloody but non-fatal wound on the left side of his neck. Someone helped him by grabbing one of his ankles and dragging him backwards. Naruto was a bit startled when he saw that it was the older Taki genin that were taking care of him, but at least neither of them seemed to be part of the chaos like Dosu was.

"Now tell us," Shikamaru drawled, "what exactly is going on."

"You'll find out soon enough," Dosu growled. "That is, if you survive."

And then, with a tremendous jerk (and probably a hefty burst of chakra), Dosu pulled himself free of Shikamaru's jutsu. The Oto-genin staggered and slapped at himself to try and kill Shino's bugs. But before he could smash very many Lee swept in and slammed a fist into Dosu's mostly hidden face, sending the Oto-nin staggering into the concrete wall. The green-clad boy swayed slightly, his balance still clearly effected by Dosu's technique.

"Your behavior is most dishonorable and unyouthful!" Lee declared. "Explain yourself!"

Dosu snarled and raised his gauntlet again—

Shin slammed the hilt of one of his knives into Dosu's skull and the genin crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"I do _not_ wanna puke again!" Shin snarled and gave the Oto-genin a savage kick to the side before he retreated to his female teammate's side.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "So much for getting answers."

"Not my problem," the teenager from Taki shrugged.

Shino knelt by Dosu's body and started binding the foreign genin's wrists and ankles together while his tiny beetles returned to the folds of his coat. Naruto shook his head—relieved that he didn't feel horribly dizzy from the motion—and turned his foxish gaze back down into the arena. The proctor had defeated a few of his attackers and had moved on up to fight other Oto-nin in the stands. Sasuke was well out of sight now, but Naruto figured he'd kept moving in a straight line unless something or someone got into his way. And—

_Hey, there's Mom!_

He grinned at the sight of her, her long red hair waving in the wind like a banner, as she surged down the steep wall from the stands into the arena pit. A dark-haired woman, probably Sasuke's mother, was hard on her heels. The two adult kunoichi paused, scanned the arena, checked one of the demons that Sasuke had killed, and then vanished down one of the tunnels that led down into the chambers where the demons were held.

_Weird…I thought they'd go after Sasuke._

_ Sasuke!_

It had been minutes since the ex-Uchiha had escaped from the arena. There was no telling where he was, what he was doing, or what sort of trouble he was in. Naruto lurched into motion, eager to make up for lost time.

"Come on, let's go get Sasuke!" Naruto cried.

Without waiting for any agreement or plan of action, he grabbed Shikamaru's arm and dragged the Nara with him over the metal railing. Naruto got Shikamaru down into the arena and halfway across the field before the other boy managed to dig in his heels.

"What?" the blond frowned.

"This is a battle for chuunin and jounin," Shikamaru sighed. "We should just stay out of the way. And what's with your eyes?"

"We're almost chuunin," Naruto argued. "And we need to help Sasuke. No one outside of the stadium will recognize him now and they could attack him by mistake. We need to catch him before he runs into his relatives!" He complete ignored Shikamaru's question.

The Nara boy made a face and then sighed deeply. "Troublesome… Let's go a back way. There's too much fighting up in the stands."

"Indeed," Shino agreed, seeming to materialize out of nowhere. Naruto jumped and squawked, and even Shikamaru flinched, but Shino only gestured back to the waiting area. "We should make use of the interior corridors of the stadium complex. Why? Because all the fighting appears to be in the stands or on the roofs."

"He's right," Shikamaru agreed. "Fighting in close quarters like inside of buildings is tricky and most ninja avoid it when they can. With the attack just starting, it's very unlikely that any enemy ninja have moved their fighting indoors."

"…Okay," Naruto agreed and waved his fist. "Let's get going, then!"

* * *

Hinata cowered in her side, wide-eyed and frozen with terror. She'd managed to recognize the genjutsu and break its hold over her in time but now she had no idea what to do. Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, and Chouji had fallen asleep, but Sakura and Tenten had also escaped the sleep-inducing illusion and now the pink-haired girl was waking the others up.

And in the stands around them there were clumps of ninja fighting and seeking to kill each other.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It shouldn't be possible. The Trials were kept small, with only lesser ninja villages invited to participate to make this sort of invasion impossible. And this was an act of full-scale war, something that was barely a memory to the oldest ninja and a myth to the youngest.

It couldn't be real. It had to be a waking nightmare. It had to be the second layer of a complex genjutsu.

But when Hinata using the genjutsu breaking technique that Kurenai-sensei had long drilled her one, the view of the insane, impossible battle didn't change in the slightest.

"What's going on?" Chouji asked sleepily after Sakura broke the illusion on him.

"An act of war," Tenten answered, her brown eyes sharp and flickering from different clumps of fighting. "We need to arm ourselves."

"Man, all my weapons are at home!" Kiba growled bitterly.

"What are we going to do?" Ino fussed.

"My uncle has a weapons shop several blocks from here," Tenten said. "If we can get there we can—"

An enemy ninja noticed that their genin group was awake and he and one of his comrades sprinted along the backs of chairs towards them. Tenten stole snacks and drinks from nearby unconscious spectators and hurled them at the Oto ninja. One took a cup of sake to the face and he tripped as the alcohol burned his eyes, but the other kept coming. Tenten leapt to meet him and managed to hold him off with pure taijutsu long enough to steal one of his kunai.

The other Oto ninja recovered from the drink to the face and tried to double-team Tenten, but Kiba and Akamaru intercepted him. The Inuzuka fighting style and their specially bred canine companions made them dangerous opponents, even when the human half of the fighting pair lacked any steal blades. Akamaru splashed the adult ninja's face with urine, which burned and blinded even worse than the sake had, and then boy and puppy struck, slashed, and bit their foe.

Chouji crouched in his seat, practically useless. His clan techniques were all about growing in size and smashing the enemy, and if he tried it in the stands he was guaranteed to crush and kill helpless Konoha civilians. So he sat there, watched Tenten and Kiba fight, and worked on finishing off his bag of potato chips.

Ino was almost as useless. Sure, she could possess the enemy and turn him against his fellows, but if her attempt failed her body would be helpless and defenseless for several precious seconds. And if the body that she possessed was significantly injured or killed before she could leave it, the damage would be brought back to her body.

Sakura looked just as terrified and frozen as Hinata felt. The pink-haired girl had no real clan techniques to speak of. Her family was small and had only started becoming ninja a few generations back. They had no specialized fighting style or magical techniques. And Sakura was the only one of her family with any training or experience in fieldwork. She—

A third Oto-nin spotted their battle and was sprinting in to help his fellows. He aimed for Tenten and hefted a kunai to throw. The bun-haired girl still only had the one blade she'd snagged from her opponent and she had no real way to defend herself.

Tenten was in real trouble now.

The Oto-nin stopped two rows back from Hinata's seat and drew his arm back to throw—

Hinata's problem was that she always thought too much. She feared and she worried and her imagination raced to picture all the ways that she could fail, that her teammates could be hurt by her. And it would always lead her to move too slowly, to freeze up.

So she didn't think; she acted.

The Hyuuga girl launched out of her seat, signing and activating her ocular _kekkei genkai_ as she moved. One step cleared one row of seats, another cleared the second. The enemy noticed her and turned to slash at her with the blade he'd intended to hurl at Tenten.

He was far too slow.

Her hand struck at his wrist like a snake and the blast of chakra from her palm paralyzed and destroyed muscles and tendons, causing the throwing knife to tumble harmlessly from his grasp. He snarled and tried to bring up his other arm to knock her aside, but her hands moved like lightning. She struck his knee, the shoulder of his undamaged arm, and then she landed a double strike—one palm slapped left of his sternum, the other clapped against his throat.

The Oto-nin coughed up a spray of blood and toppled backwards to land half in a sleeping woman's lap. He gurgled and twitched feebly for a minute. And then he went terribly still, his eyes unfocused and unseeing.

_I killed him._

That horrifying realization utterly destroyed the odd fighting trance she'd fallen into and she perched on the back of a stadium chair, frozen.

_I killed a man._

She hadn't slain a demon. She had snuffed out a human life. She had killed a human being.

The clash of steel and angry shouts of battle faded into muffled nothingness. Color returned to her vision as her Byakugan relaxed, only to leech back out into shades of gray instead of shades of violet. Acidic terror burned at the back of her throat and her mind teetered on the precipice of shock. She—

A flash of bold green at the corner of her eye jolted her away from staring at the man that she'd killed. Rock Lee pummeled away another enemy—one that had been charging towards her with murder in his eyes—with a mighty kick. As the adult ninja cartwheeled away, the odd genin that was part of her cousin's team gave her a quick smile and a big thumbs up.

"An amazing display of skill, Hinata-san! Your youthful power prevailed!" the strange genin declared, his teeth practically shining. "Come, let us go to Tenten's family shop and arm ourselves!"

Clinging to Lee's praise like a life line, Hinata timidly nodded and allowed Sakura to drag her along with the others as they fled the stands for the exit and hopefully a store of blades.

_I wish Kurenai-sensei was here…_

* * *

Sarutobi Konohamaru was horribly bored. He'd been hoping to attend the Trials this year, but his unauthorized jaunt outside the village walls months ago had ruined any chance of that. So he and his friends and all the other kids in his class were stuck in school, being bored to death by their teachers.

_This stinks so bad…_

The Hokage's grandson sighed wearily as his pencil doodled aimlessly on the margins of his worksheet. To his left, Udon was waging his old war with his running nose and some tissues. And to his right, Moegi was drawing with crayons on some blank paper, having already finished all the worksheets the chuunin-teacher had handed out at the start of class.

_I wish something interesting would happen,_ Konohamaru sulked.

A door at the back of the classroom slid open and a chuunin-teacher from another class slipped inside. She rushed to the front of the room and whispered something urgently to Iruka-sensei and the substitute chuunin filling in for Gato-sensei. After a little more whispering, the visiting chuunin left and Iruka-sensei called the class to attention.

Konohamaru grinned in excitement briefly…until he recognized the grim look on Iruka-sensei's face.

"All right class, change of plans," the scar-faced chuunin announced. "We're going to take a quick field trip to the cliff tunnels. Clean off your desks and fall into line!"

* * *

Iruka tried not to snap impatiently at his young students as he and the other chuunin instructors struggle to get their students out of the school building. It was imperative that they got all the students into the safety of the ancient lava tubes hidden behind the cliffs that rose up behind Hokage Tower where the dozens of faces of the old Hokages had been carved. Of course the students had no idea how important it was that they got there quickly; they thought it was just a field trip to entertain and possibly educate them.

Telling them the truth would only incite panic.

It was hard to believe that Konoha was under attack, but it had to be true. A squad of ANBU had stopped by the teacher's lounge to alert the off-duty teachers of the danger, so there was no question of the reality of the threat. So Iruka and the other Academy instructors had to implement the evacuation plans—plans that hadn't been seriously employed for nearly a century.

_Perhaps we could make it into a race?_ Iruka pondered as he steered his class through the hallways and out the doors. _That would get them to the tunnels in less than fifteen minutes. But it wouldn't be very stealthy—_

Just outside of the Academy building only a few feet short of the gates to the campus the crowd of young students and the few handfuls of adult chuunin teachers ground to a halt. Iruka almost yelled ahead to see what the hold-up was. But then he saw the problem and his blood ran icy cold.

Waiting for them at the gates were foreign ninja, almost thirty of them. There were dressed mostly in black, with dark gray flak jackets, and their hitai-ate had a spiral etched into the metal plates. But the enemy ninja paled in comparison to what they brought with them.

Werewolves. At least ten of them. They wore metal collars and wrist manacles. It didn't matter that they appeared oddly docile and seemed perfectly obedient to the foreign ninjas that commanded them. The creatures were still dangerous. One good bite and…

"How nice of you to come out and meet us!" one of the foreign ninjas cried with a cruel smile. "It saves us the trouble of going inside and rounding up the brats ourselves."

"To kill us?" one bold (or foolish) child asked loudly into the fearful silence.

"No, our pets won't kill you," the spokes-ninja for the group answered, his smile growing even crueler. "They just want to chew on you a bit!"


	52. Chaos

**Chapter 51**

_Chaos_

Orochimaru almost didn't dodge the blue fireballs. Human-spawned _katon_ attacks were always (except for a few fabled Uchiha jutsu) the ordinary colors of fire—red, orange, and yellow, sometimes with hints of white or blue. Any other color of fire was the result of demon chakra, sometimes referred to as _youki_. Therefore, the blue fireballs that Furukawa Kaito had generated had to be genjutsu, or partial genjutsu.

But when the fireballs failed to vanished or change color after the half-demon tried to dispel them, and when those fireballs left sizeable craters in the roof where he had been standing, he saw that there was nothing illusory about them. And that raised a lot of very…_interesting_ questions. As much as Orochimaru loved knowledge and learning new things, he greatly preferred to do it outside of battle.

Narrowing his golden eyes, Orochimaru snapped one of his arms at the elderly Uzushio-nin and a stream of small summoned snakes exploded from his sleeve. The stream of venomous vipers soared through the air, sharp fangs bared at their target. But Kaito wasn't the least bit impressed. Snapping through a few quick hand seals, he sprayed a tight blast of blue flame from his mouth that incinerated all of the snakes and singed the edge of Orochimaru's sleeve.

"…Really?" Kaito almost sneered, one eyebrow arched in inquiry.

A flash of hot rage raced over Orochimaru's skin, but he forced it down and made it cold.

"Tell me, Kaito-san…isn't your elemental affinity supposed to be _doton_? How is it that you're throwing around _youki_-powered fireballs?" The half-snake tilted his head slightly. "That is, if you're really Furukawa Kaito at all, and not some unusually bold Tanuki wearing his face."

"In all the years that I lived in Konoha, I was never seriously asked whether or not I was human at all," Kaito replied with a shrug and a thin smile.

"…Then what are you?" Orochimaru demanded.

"I am what _every_ Uzushio citizen is," Kaito replied, being thoroughly obscure.

Orochimaru prepared a cutting remark, but discarded it in favor to dodging an attack from his left. His old sensei had quietly summoned his favorite monkey demon, Enma, while the hanyou had been distracted. The towering white monkey king had turned himself into his staff form and the old Hokage tried to knock Orochimaru off his feet with it.

"Finally getting into the fight, Sensei?" Orochimaru sneered and snapped out his un-singed sleeve, sending another stream of summoned serpents towards his former mentor.

The range was too close for Sarutobi to dodge. As talented as he was with a bo staff, even the bulky staff form of Enma, there could be no way for him to sweep away all the poisonous snakes coming his way. But he never had to lift a finger to stop the snakes. A stream of blue fireballs courtesy of Kaito obliterated all of the venomous reptiles in seconds and set Orochimaru's unblemished sleeve on fire.

"Your scaly pets won't be much use here," Kaito chided him. "Unless you call on the bigger ones, and there isn't much room in this little box you've made."

Orochimaru hissed angrily, sounding very much like a snake himself. He sliced open a fingertip and summoned a slightly larger serpent, but didn't send it to attack either of his foes. Instead it disgorged a sword before vanishing again in a burst of smoke.

"Why don't you tell your old friend to stand aside," Orochimaru suggested to his old teacher. "This fight should be just between me and you, Sarutobi-sensei."

He could see that the Hokage was considering it, but Kaito had to voice his own opinion.

"Now, Orochimaru, why should I let you go and mess with your old teacher's mind?" the Furukawa man snorted. "Why should I stand aside and let you and your teacher fight to the death and do nothing? The whole point of my being here is to make this a very unfair fight for you and insure Konoha's victory." The demon man scoffed. "I'm old but I'm no idiot. And besides, I'm not a Konoha ninja so I don't have to listen to any of the Hokage's orders if I don't want to!"

"He has a good point," the old Hokage shrugged. "As much as I would like to correct my mistake on my own, it seems that I have no choice but to accept Kaito's help in the matter."

Another hiss slipped through Orochimaru's teeth. He'd planned on fighting only one man, his old sensei. Now he had some kind of demon to contend with as well. Several techniques he'd planned on using, including his beloved _Edo Tensei_, would now be much harder to use, if not impossible.

_I doubt that Kaito will allow me to complete the summoning of the coffins,_ the hanyou groused. _What a pity. I'd picked out my favorite old Hokages for this occasion. I even managed to locate material to summon the Shodai himself._

_ What a shame…I'll have to save him for some other time._

Channeling chakra into his sword, he flung the blade into the air and Kusanagi took on a life of its own, zipping towards Kaito like a missile. With the swords to occupy the interloper, Orochimaru threw himself at his former teacher. It would be tricky to go against the old man without his sword, but it could be done.

And he would do it. Eventually. His sensei was old and would be the first of the three of them to tire.

Once he was dealt with, Orochimaru could focus his might on Kaito, the secret demon, and then get to the business of destroying Konoha.

* * *

Iruka fell ill as he surveyed the deadly blockade. The foreign ninja smirked at the students who were paralyzed with fear and confusion, and their werewolf pets just crouched there, eyes unfocused, drooling, and waiting. And the lead ninjas words…

_"No, our pets won't kill you. They just want to chew on you a bit!"_

Killing helpless children, the youngest being barely six years old, was bad enough, but what those words implied… These foreigners weren't out to slaughter children, they were aiming to maul the children with werewolves so that if they survived they'd become werewolves themselves. And then the cursed children would either be forced to cower indoors on nights of the full moon for the rest of their lives, or Konoha would have to kill them as an act of mercy.

"Why do they want to chew on us?" a young girl, frightened but not old enough and knowledgeable enough to be frightened enough, asked anxiously.

"Because we're going to tell them to," the spokes-ninja replied, smirking cruelly.

"Why?" a boy, probably a classmate of the girl's, wondered.

"To punish your village," another of the foreigners snarled.

He was…old. In fact, Iruka was startled to realize that more than half the foreigners looked at least as old as the Hokage. And while the younger members of this force were leering viciously at their young soon-to-be victims, the elders glared, eyes burning with hate.

"After far, _far_ too long, my children will finally be avenged!" the old man snapped harshly. "At last Konoha will know how it feels…"

"But…but Konoha has _never_ harmed Uzushio children!" one of the chuunin instructors sputtered. "We've never been at war!"

Iruka stiffened, abruptly drawing the connection between the hitai-ate of these attackers and the hitai-ate that Naruto's mysterious mother wore.

_These are ninja from her village! Kushina-san's vague excuses for casting Naruto aside and never seeking him out until now never made any sense to me. This must be why she's come to Konoha—not to see Naruto, but to use him as an excuse to scout the village for this attack!_

"Yes we have!" an elderly kunoichi shrilled. "Before Uzushiogakure no Sato existed we were at war!"

"Your ignorance is no excuse," the old man continued. "We will get justice—"

"Quit your belly-achin' old man!" someone shouted and Iruka's head snapped to the right.

Another group of foreign ninja—a trio, two of which looked like clones of each other—perched on the roof of the weapon storage shed. They were dressed similarly to the group with the werewolves, but none of them wore a hitai-ate. The twin ninja were clearly of the identical variety and neither of them did anything to differentiate himself from the other. They wore the same outfits, the possessed the same weapons, and they even wore their rusty-orange hair in the same style. The third member of their group with his black hair and dark trench coat stood out all the more against their eerie sameness, but he looked enough like them to be a brother or a cousin.

It was the man with the black hair that had spoken, and continued to speak.

"The people you really want to kill are long dead and dust!" he sneered. "Let it go and let the brats be."

"Uzumaki!" the original spokes-ninja of the werewolf group spat. "You dirty traitors!"

"Why have you come?" the old kunoichi hissed.

"There's no way you can stop what's coming," the old man added contemptuously. "There are only three of you."

"Well, our sister is already here, and I'm sure she's having the time of her life kicking Oto ass," the dark-haired man shrugged. "So you really ought to assume that there are four of us. But you know what they say about assuming things…" His dark gray eyes swept down over the crowd of frozen, whimpering children and their tense chuunin instructors. "Your school have a basement? You might want to herd the brats down there while we clean these vengeance nuts up."

_Uzumaki? Traitors? Sister?_ Iruka blinked, struggling to make sense of it. _Are they talking about Kushina-san? Are they really here to help?_

"You really intend to try and stop us?" the young leader of the werewolf handlers snorted derisively. "Yeah, you and what army?"

"Weren't you listening?" one of the twins asked.

"About assuming?" the other added.

"And I'm sure that these will help," the non-twin said almost cheerfully and held open his trench coat to reveal several knives.

_Are those silver?_ Iruka frowned, narrowing his eyes at the bright sheen of the blades.

"Those won't do you any good!" the young leader shouted.

Some of the chuunin instructors started to try and herded the children back towards the classrooms, but it was much too late and Iruka stood frozen as he watched several things happen almost simultaneously.

The orange-haired twins took a knife in each hand from the dark-haired man's coat, as did he, and all three of them leapt from the roof to array themselves between the leading edge of the crowd of students and the foreigners seeking to harm them. Some of the foreigners raised metal wrist cuffs covered in mysterious seals and then the docile, drooling wolf-monsters were snapping, snarling berserkers, sprinting the short few feet towards the children. Young students started to scream, the Uzumaki raised their silver knives, the foreigners without the cuffs started to form hand seals—

More black-clad ninja burst onto the scene, exploding from the trees and clearing the low wall that surrounded the Academy grounds. Iruka could tell they weren't ANBU, they had no masks. He couldn't get a count of them; his eyes were drawn to one in particular.

He had five drawn swords, but none of them were in his hands. The blades were clutched by brick-red…furry tentacles? And the shining blades were shrouded in ghostly blue fire.

_Wha…?_

* * *

Sarutobi Biwako sat grim-faced in the ANBU strategy room along with the other village elders: Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. All around them low-level ANBU listened to radio reports and updated an enormous map of Konoha stretched over a table with the movements of allies and enemies. The Hokage's wife listened to the barely ordered chaos and considered all the fragmentary information as her husband was currently…occupied.

"Crow and Eagle Tengu have been sighted in Sectors 5 and 7!"

"The spider demons are spreading to Sector 11!"

"Civilian evacuations are behind schedule in Sectors 6, 4, 9, and 13!"

"Werewolves are overrunning the forces in Sector 8!"

"Hokage-sama is still trapped in the stadium with Orochimaru!"

"Squad 23 reports smoke from near the Academy grounds!"

"Jiraiya-sama has summoned one of his toads to combat the two-headed snake in Sector 2!"

"Uzushio-nin now reported in Sector 10!"

"More Oto-nin sighted in Sector 3!"

"It won't be long until the fighting reaches the Hokage Tower complex," Homura muttered darkly.

"Civilian evacuations are behind schedule in all parts of the village and its only getting worse," Koharu added sourly. "Civilian and ninja casualties are climbing steadily."

"It's the Crow Tengu," Homura mused. "They're flocked closest to the caves and they keep dive-bombing the civilians and their escorts while they're trying to evacuate."

"And we can't do much diverting of forces or the werewolves or spider demons will spread through the village unchecked," Koharu complained. "We don't have enough ANBU field agents to go around, and all other ninja have the evacuations as a priority."

Homura opened his mouth to continue pointing out new facets of their gloomy situation, but then he hesitated and flashed Biwako an irritated glance.

"Don't you have anything to say, Biwako-sama?"

"Have you any insight into Hokage-sama's contingency plans?" Koharu demanded.

Biwako ignored them for the moment. Koharu and Homura had been teammates of her husband many years ago and they had survived to become village elders and trusted advisors. But in their old age they lost much of their senses of humor and could be difficult to deal with even on the best of days. So instead of answering them, she made up her mind on what she had been debating.

The old woman stood up from her chair and strode over to the row of radio dispatchers who were busy urging other ninja to hurry and finish getting the civilians to safety so that Konoha could strike back properly. She selected one of the dispatchers and poked his shoulder to gain his attention. The young man jumped and did a double-take when he turned.

"I need to make an all-channel announcement," she informed him.

He hesitated for a moment, then made some adjustments to his panel and abandoned his seat for her to take.

Biwako settled into his chair, pulled the microphone closer, and pushed the button.

"Cry wolf," she said, her words carried to every active ANBU radio. "I say again, cry wolf."

Her announcement made, she returned the seat to its rightful owner and returned to sit among her fellow village elders.

"What was that about?" Homura frowned, adjusting his glasses.

"I activated our secret weapon," Biwako told them with a hint of a smirk.

"And what would that be?" Koharu wanted to know.

"You'll see," Biwako replied, finding a shadow of humor in the situation.

_I'm sorry Hiruzen. I know you wanted to wait a bit longer to unleash him. But no plan survives contact with the enemy and…the Academy might be under threat. Since you're busy, it's my choice to make._

* * *

_"Cry wolf. I say again, cry wolf."_

The words cut over all the other jumbled report tumbling in over the radio and Mangetsu sighed deeply in relief. He stood up from the table in the quiet break room and adjusted his mask. With a deep focusing breath, he reached out to his seals and waited for the first summoning.

_Finally…_

* * *

When the Hokage's wife got on the radio, Tiger, leader of Squad 15, cringed. He hadn't expected for those particular code words to be announced, or the orders attached to them to be activated. No one in ANBU had.

But they had been.

_At least we'll get to use these kunai for something, if not their originally intended purpose._

Tiger grunted and drew a tri-pronged kunai marked with seal paper and skidded to a halt at the edge of a roof. In the street below, a black-furred werewolf was clawing its way free of a _doton_ cage another of his squad mates had cast. The wolf monster clearly had a broken back leg and a deep gash in its flank, but it seemed oblivious to any pain as it thrashed free of the earthen pen. Clenching his teeth, Tiger channel chakra into the kunai and hurled it at the wolf's head, aiming for the eye—

An ANBU that Tiger didn't recognize was perched on the beast's shoulder with the tri-prong kunai in his hands and he drove the heavy blade into its neck, just behind the head, and twisted, severing the spine so severely that there was little chance that the werewolves healing powers would save it—

The black werewolf gurgled, blood oozed from its mouth, and it collapsed like a rag doll on the ruins of the stone cage.

Tiger blinked.

_What—_

_"Holy shit!"_ someone shouted on the radio, breaking protocol. _"It worked! It actually worked!"_

Tiger shook himself with a grimace and got moving again, seeking a new trouble spot or target. Several roofs away he caught up with Owl, his trap specialist. Owl gave him a brief nod as he finished crushing stone claws into the legs into an Oto-nin who seemed responsible for the werewolf which had just been killed.

"So…he's back?" Owl asked, turning his avian mask towards the sky to check the location of the tengu flock.

"…No," Tiger decided, slapping restraint seals on the Oto-nin, who was sliding swiftly into shock. If he survived, the interrogation squads would love to get a piece of him. "Someone else must've uncovered the secrets of the _hiraishin no jutsu_."

It was the only explanation, unlikely as it was. The ANBU he'd glimpsed killing the werewolf had been human—no pointed ears, no tail, no hint of fur or claws. Namikaze Minato had seen the full moon and turned. There was no coming back from that.

_I guess Konoha has a new Flash…and not a moment too soon._

* * *

_He was going home._

Feet pattered over roofs and wings stroked the air as he bridged gaps formed by streets.

_Aniki would help him._

Nothing looked familiar but he kept running because if he stopped…something bad would happen.

_His mother would make things right._

Fire burned in his veins as he zigzagged in search of some magical landmark that would point the way.

_His father would know what to do._

A shadow fell over him and he dodged left, stopped, turned back, caught the Crow Tengu before it could climb back into the sky, and snapped its feathery neck.

_He was going home…and he would kill anything that got in his way._

* * *

Kushina grimaced as she followed on Mikoto's heels. When they'd reached the arena pit, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. The proctor was also gone, so there hadn't been anyone to ask where the ex-Uchiha kid had gone. So Mikoto, seeing the demon tunnels open for the collection of Sasuke's dead demons, guessed that he'd gone that way.

Therefore, they were going that way, down the tunnels and into the subterranean demon storage area.

_This place really stinks, when the hell did they last clean it?_

The corpses of the demons killed so far in the Finals were stored down in the caverns under the arena and they would remain there until the dead of night when they would be carted out of Konoha for disposal. There were also the demons that were still alive, caged and waiting to be released and driven out into the sunlight for young demon-hunting ninja to try and slay. The stench resulting from the waste of the living and the rotting dead was thoroughly pungent, even to an ordinary human nose.

Kushina had to breathe through her mouth a lot to keep from retching.

_I'm so glad I'm not one of the ninja stuck working down here._

Mikoto dashed on through the dimly lit tunnels and chambers, oblivious to foul smells and demon growls as she sought any sign of her son. But no matter where they ran, they found no hint of Sasuke. The few demon tenders still down there hadn't seen any genin, and none of the captive demons were any help; they were too stupid to manage human language if they'd even cared to be helpful.

But Mikoto wasn't discouraged and she found one of the tunnels that led out of the stadium. They were used to get the live demons in to the arena caverns before the Finals, and later to move their corpses out afterwards. The exits came aboveground several blocks away from the stadium and a few blocks shy of the village wall. It was a long trot, a good half of which was in total darkness, before they emerged into sunlight.

The spot they'd arrived in was mostly warehouses and carpentry shops and it would've been deserted anyway due to the Finals and the unofficial holiday resulting from the competition. But with the muffled sounds of distant fighting drifting in from several directions it was downright eerie. Kushina shivered a bit, but Mikoto didn't seem to care.

Seeing no sign of the boy, they ascended to a warehouse roof to scout their surroundings. A column of smoke rose from just outside the distant stadium and a few others were rising in other parts of the village. There was a giant pall of dust in another direction, the sign of at least two giant summons grappling with each other. And flocks of giant birds—tengu—circled and dove over the heart of the village.

"This really sucks," Kushina muttered. _I wonder where Minato's deployed. There's no way that he can sit this out and stay hidden._

And naturally thoughts of Minato led to worries about Naruto.

_I hope he's staying with the other genin. They should be safe if they stay down in that waiting area. This fight is way beyond all of them._

…But if she were in Naruto's place, she wouldn't sit idly by. With the arrogance of youth and the sense of immortality, she would've thrown herself into the fray once she decided who the bad guys were. She would be outraged by the jerks interrupting her test and hurting her friends' village and eager to prove herself and display her chuunin potential to allies.

_Naruto's more cautious than I was,_ she told herself. _Father made his lunar Sword of Damocles painfully clear to him before casting him off. He's grown up under a worse cloud of fear than I ever did. He won't get into any fighting unless his genin compatriots start it first._

_ I hope._

"I don't see Sasuke anywhere," Mikoto said, a quiet note of anguish in her voice.

"Neither do I," Kushina sighed. _I wish I paid attention to what he smelled like._

"What do you think we should do?" Mikoto asked, wringing her hands as her drive faltered into uncertainty.

"Hmm…circle the stadium?" Kushina suggested. "Maybe he left some other way? Someone surely saw him." _Well, hopefully._

"Yes, that sounds—"

Ten Oto-nin surged up the sides of the warehouse with blades drawn.

"Damn it!" Kushina snarled and charged the closest attacker, crushing his throat with her fist before he got his footing on the roof to stab her.

Mikoto said nothing as he unleashed a multi-target _raiton_ that fried the three enemies nearest to her.

The two women crashed into their foes more viciously than the Oto-nin had expected. Kushina ran through her vocabulary of curses as she crushed her enemies with her taijutsu skill. Mikoto never said a word as she cast chakra-fueled lightning to paralyze, burn, and kill aided by the sharp perception of her spinning Sharingan. The ten high-level chuunin shinobi barely stood a chance.

"Today sucks!" Kushina declared as she kicked her final opponent off the roof with extreme prejudice.

"I have to agree," Mikoto nodded as she relaxed her Sharingan to avoid unnecessary chakra drainage. "Let's get—"

The flat tar-coated roof suddenly collapsed under Kushina's feet and she fell into the warehouse below. In the skirmish she and Mikoto had been separated and ended up on opposite corners of the roof so the Uchiha woman was safe, but also unable to keep her friend from falling. The red head tumbled off a pile of crates, bruising her side and knocking the wind from her lungs before she hit the packed earth floor hard. Before she could recover, violet lightning flashed over her, paralyzing her muscles and hazing her vision.

"Don't struggle," a dark voice crooned as a shadowy figure loomed over her, silhouetted against the sunlight streaming down through the hole in the roof. "It's pointless."

Forcing her eyes to refocus as she gasped for breath, the man's features slowly wavered into focus. His shaggy hair was a dark brown and his eyes were a pale icy blue. Recognition struck her harder than the demonic lightning.

_Kasshoku!_

Smirking, the Kitsune grabbed her by the hair and forced her to her feet, bracing her body against a pile of crates.

"Remember how you threatened me?" he snarled softly into her ear. "How you said you'd out me to the Uchiha?"

Kushina tried to pull away, but his hand was tangled in her hair, her muscles wouldn't obey her commands, and no matter how she gasped and gulped she couldn't seem to get enough air to say or do anything.

"Well…" He smirked and tore her crystal pendant from around her throat, dropped it, and ground it under the heel of his sandal.

"Kushina!" Mikoto cried, dropping down the hole and landing on the top of the half-crushed crates and scanning the dark warehouse frantically. "Where are you?"

"You can't out me," Kasshoku whispered nastily as he pressed his free hand to her stomach, "if I out you first!"

She felt a tangle of his chakra slam into her system and she choked on a strangled scream as her throbbing body felt like it caught fire.

_Bastard!_


	53. Crazy Like a Fox

**Chapter 52**

_Crazy Like a Fox_

Mikoto shoved aside panic as she tried to scan the floor of the warehouse. Since the huge storage building was closed for the day, none of the lights were on, leaving the space illuminated only by the hole in the roof and a strip of small windows that circled the building, just under the roof edge. That left the canyons formed by the stacks of crates lost in deep shadows. And the vast space gave every sound an echo, which made trying to locate Kushina by her scream difficult at the very least.

_She must've gone this way,_ the Uchiha decided in an educated guess and bounded down from the crushed top of a crate stack to the packed earth floor.

Her guess was off, but not by much. She didn't see Kushina where she landed, but a quick dash around the corner revealed her old friend. The red-head was backed up against the stack and the attacker had one fist entangled in her long hair and the other hand palm-spread against her mid-riff.

Mikoto's Sharingan spun faster and easily recognized the aggressor through the gloom. It was Biyokuchi Kasshoku, the Uzushio-nin who had been ejected from Konoha the day after her husband's sentencing. Her Sharingan noted the violent fluxes in Kushina's chakra. He wasn't locking her into a genjutsu. It looked like he was applying a seal to her.

Drawing a kunai, Mikoto charged without a sound of warning. But either Kasshoku somehow sensed her or finished whatever he was doing because he jumped backwards, abruptly releasing Kushina as he vanished down a different aisle. Mikoto hesitated to follow him. Kushina had crumpled to the ground and was wheezing and writhing in agony and if Mikoto gave chase she would be defenseless.

"Kushina, what did he do to you?" When the red-head failed to answer, Mikoto turned her question to the enemy shinobi. "Kasshoku, what did you do to her?"

"Nothing fatal," he assured her with a cold chuckle. His words echoed so badly it sounded like his voice could've come from anywhere. The echo was too extreme—it was a genjutsu, but since it was completely auditory her Sharingan couldn't protect her against it. "I'm actually doing you a favor, Uchiha. I'm showing you what your _friend_ really is!"

Mikoto frowned, bit her lip, risked a glance back at—

Kushina was half-curled into a ball on the ground, panting for breath and twitching almost like she was suffering a seizure. She was face-down on the ground with her long hair hiding her face, but her left arm was in full view…and sprouting _fur_. Her nails were melting into black animal claws and her fingers were shrinking into stubby toes.

_Did Minato bite her?_ was Mikoto's first thought. _That seal that Kasshoku used—is it meant to force a werewolf to transform without the stimulation of the full moon? …No. No, that can't be right. Werewolf front paws are almost like hands and that…that just looks like a dog's paw—_

Black pointed ears thrust up through Kushina's long, tangled hair. A bushy red tail with a white tip sprouted from the base of her spine and slipped out from under the long edge of her kimono-styled shirt. And then another tail, and then another, and then _another_, and…

_Five?_ Mikoto gaped at the shuddering form, blade dangling loosely in her hand, as her heart thundered in her ears. _Five tails? I…I don't…_

The long red hair slowly shrank into red fur, revealing a much altered head. Instead of a round head with a flat face, there was an oval head with a long narrow muzzle. The eyes were the same dark blue-gray, but the pupils were cat-like slits, narrowed to black lines from discomfort and stress. The lips twitched and briefly peeled back to showcase a mouthful of sharp teeth in a grimace of pain.

There was now a human-sized five-tailed fox laying there, wearing her friend's clothes.

_Kitsune…_ The word pounded around inside of her skull and she staggered back a step, dropping the kunai from nerveless fingers. _It…can't be—_

But it was. Her active Sharingan would've peered through any illusion. So it _had_ to be true.

"So how does it feel?" Kasshoku asked in a gloating tone. "How does it feel to know that your _best friend_ is a Kitsune? Has always been a Kitsune? And you never knew? Never suspected?" He laughed derisively. "Tell me, Uchiha, how does it feel?"

Mikoto couldn't speak. The shock was too profound. Her mind screamed that it couldn't be true, but her Sharingan proved that it was.

Kasshoku was suddenly standing beside her. One arm was draped around her shoulders; the other pointed a short sword just underneath her chin. Mikoto could barely tear her eyes away from the creature on the ground to look into his glacier-cold gaze.

"How does your obscene Uchiha ego feel now?" he sneered frostily. "Does it hurt? Do you feel humiliated? Do you think yourself a failure? Is shame choking you alive?"

She couldn't answer him, even if she'd wanted to.

"…You're boring," he complained with a sniff. "I was hoping that you would prove to be more entertaining. Oh well, time to get rid of you so I can deal with this bitchy vixen."

Kasshoku adjusted his grip on his blade and raised the sharp edge to the skin of her neck—

A white claw-hand connected to a red-furred tentacle clamped onto Kasshoku's face, twisted him to the side, and slammed him bodily into a wall of crates before detaching itself.

"You leave my friend alone!"

The fox was struggling to its feet and trying to kick the sandals off its back paws. Two of its tail tips flattened and compressed into blades and sliced off its sleeves at the shoulders so that the loose material wouldn't cause it to trip. But its primary focus seemed to be glaring holes into Kasshoku as the man pushed off the crate he'd cracked with the impact of his shoulder.

"Your friend?" Kasshoku laughed uproariously. "Now that she sees what you are you still think you can call her your friend? You're crazy!"

"I'll take that as a compliment!" the fox retorted using Kushina's voice.

Then it cracked one of its tails across his face and pounced upon him while he was still stunned by the swift blow. It pinned him down with all of its weight and snapped at his neck with its toothy jaws, tearing away a leather-cord necklace. And then it pressed its right forepaw into Kasshoku's gut and forced its chakra into him.

Mikoto stood frozen, as if trapped in a waking nightmare, and watched as her Sharingan drew out her perception of time and burned every action, every movement permanently into her memory…

Her spinning red eyes widened as Kasshoku began to transform, just as Kushina had. Since he was laying on his back, she got an even better view of the process. She stared as his jaws and nose stretched outwards into a vulpine muzzle, and fur erupted from every patch of naked skin. Four fox tail exploded from the seat of his pants and lashed against the ground, kicking up small puffs of loose dust.

This, too, was no illusion.

He was a Kitsune, as well.

"There, how do you like a taste of your own medicine, huh?" the red fox barked, stamping a black paw. "Burns, doesn't it? Forced transformations are a real bitch!"

"I'll get…you Uzu…maki!" he snarled between pants, his voice slightly distorted by his nearly complete transformation.

"No you won't," the red fox snorted.

The vixen's five tails sharpened into spears and arched over her back to strike him like a scorpion—

"You lied to me," Mikoto breathed.

The red fox paused and turned to peer over its shoulder at her curiously.

The brown fox that had been Kasshoku took advantage of the other's momentary distraction and lashed out first. He kicked one of his sandals off and hit the vixen on the nose, then used his four tails to sweep her legs out from under her. Then the brown Kitsune rolled to his feet and leapt upon her with teeth bared.

Now that she'd finally managed to say something, Mikoto felt able to move again. And she took advantage of her return to mobility by darting back up the stack of boxes, gluing the soles of her feet to them with chakra. Then she exited the warehouse the same way that she'd entered: through the hole in the roof. Mikoto sprinted across the roof and jumped over to a neighboring warehouse where she took a moment to catch her breath.

_She lied to me…_

The Kitsune had never been her friend. That much was clear. The fox had probably sought to gain information on the Uchiha clan and saw Mikoto as a good source. Perhaps the demon had even hoped to corrupt her or use her as a pawn to disrupt or destroy the Uchiha.

Mikoto squeezed her eyes shut against the dull throb of early Sharingan strain—

_—and one of the visiting foreigners was a genin, a kunoichi with long red hair and fierce-looking dark blue-gray eyes that narrowed critically when she learned that Mikoto was of the Uchiha._

_ "I don't believe you!" the strange girl declared. "She's too polite to be an Uchiha!"—_

_ —Mikoto frowned at the Uzushio-genin as she limped out of the arena in the Forest of Death after her successful match._

_ "Why did you cheer for me?" the dark-haired teen demanded as she passed the foreigner on the way back to her team._

_ "Why not?" The red-head shrugged with a cheerful grin. "Just because I'm from a different village doesn't mean I can't support the fighters that I like, does it?"—_

_ —She tried very hard not to laugh as the Uzushio liaison ninja scowled at her. "Are you serious?"_

_ "Yeah," Kushina grunted with a sour face. "I don't know crap about make-up. …Could you please…help me?"_

_ Mikoto fought down her amusement and nodded—_

_ —The young Uchiha woman grimaced as the storm washed over her._

_ "It's not fair!" Kushina raged as she paced and made sharp, violent gestures with her hands. "They can't make you marry that creep! You deserve better!"—_

_ —"Congratulations," Kushina said with a smile that was only half-forced and Mikoto wasn't sure if she was worried at her announcement or just shocked. "If it's a girl, will you name it after me?"—_

_ —"I don't understand," the red-head sniffled angrily as she flopped on Mikoto's couch while Mikoto paced the room with her whimpering first born. "I thought he liked me…"_

_ "Minato likes everyone," the Uchiha mother sighed, rubbing baby Itachi's back._

_ "Minato's a jerk!" Kushina hissed—_

_ —"Did you have a good night?" Mikoto asked, half-irritated and half-intrigued by all the odd comments that Kushina had been making all morning._

_ "Oh, I did," Kushina practically purred. "Minato did, too!"—_

_ —Mikoto sighed gratefully as she lowered her swollen frame down onto the bench beside the playground to watch Itachi play among the other children. Not too long after that, her old friend Kushina wandered over and joined her in uncharacteristic silence. After about five minutes of quiet fidgeting and staring out into space, she finally fielded Mikoto her question._

_ "Hey…" One hand tugged and twirled a lock of red hair and the other pressed against her flat stomach. "How'd you tell Fugaku that you were knocked up?"—_

_ —"What do you mean 'she went home'?" Mikoto demanded, confused and anxious with her newborn baby, Sasuke, left at home in Itachi's temporary care. "She's in no condition to be traveling. She's pregnant!"_

_ The Hokage looked very tired and very old. "She could not be persuaded to stay…"—_

_ —"I...I think his sensei took him in," Mikoto gulped, hugging herself._

_ "Well, that's good," the Uzumaki said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I'd love to chat more, but I need to get going. I have a kid of my own to see."_

_ Mikoto was confused._

_ "You know," Kushina said, tucking her take-out box under one arm and adjusting the straps of her bag. "Naruto, the boy your husband tried to murder in broad daylight."_

_ Mikoto turned ashen. "I-I didn't—"_

_ "Later"—_

_ —"Do you think that when Naruto is better that…that I could meet him?" Mikoto inquired nervously. "I won't be offended if you say no. After what my husband did I—"_

_ "You're not Fugaku," Kushina snorted. "You're my friend. And I can't imagine you doing something bad enough to stop being my friend. So when Naruto is back to one hundred percent we'll see about having a nice lunch with him or something."_

_ "Thank you"—_

Mikoto vigorously shook her head and stared up into the bright blue sky, blinking back tears. With such a sky, it was hard to believe that Konoha was under attack—being invaded by enemies and monsters. But the beautiful sky lied…

_She lied to me,_ she thought and swallowed hard and dropped her gaze to her sandals. _We're not friends. We're—_

"Ah, what a glorious day for conquest!" a man declared from somewhere nearby. "Don't you think so?"

Mikoto flinched and whirled to her right to find a stranger standing several yards away, gazing carelessly up at the clear heavens. He was rather handsome and young-looking with fine clothes in dark blue and black. His hair was an odd shade of dark blue and his eyes appeared to be a glowing shade of green. When he turned to flash a smirk at her, she spied a golden hoop earring attached to one earlobe.

An Uzushio hitai-ate hung around his neck, declaring his shinobi allegiance.

"Who are you?" Mikoto demanded and reached for her kunai…but came up empty. The one kunai she'd brought with her from the stadium was still down in the warehouse with the Kitsune where she'd dropped it. She was now weaponless.

"My name is Kurohi Yuudai," he replied as his smirk widened. "And judging by those spinning red eyes you are an Uchiha, yes?"

She nodded warily as she tried to sort through her unruly thoughts and decipher where she'd heard the name "Kurohi" before and what was so important about it.

"Excellent!" he beamed and removed something from around his neck. Then six navy blue fox tails emerged from his shadow and waved over his shoulders and around his ankles. "I was hoping to take an Uchiha trophy while I was here! Now the hard part will be finding the right sort of glass jar to keep those pretty eyes of yours in…"

* * *

Iruka stood near the front doors of the main Academy building along with another of the chuunin instructors. They'd managed to herd the terrified students back inside with minimal injuries, and so far none of the children had been found to be missing. Now while all the other teachers tried to calm the students who were upset, Iruka and his comrade waited for the fighting to clear so that they could herd their charges to the cliff caves and safety.

The sounds of battle were lessening, but Iruka didn't completely trust it. He wasn't sure what to believe now. Were they being saved from bloodthirsty invaders, or were they being stolen from one foe to be devoured by another?

_One side has werewolves, the other has demons,_ Iruka mused, thinking of the man with the furry tendrils that clutched five flaming swords. _The side with werewolves want to deliberately infect the children so that Konoha is forced to mercy-kill all of them. The side with the demons…what do they want? How many do they have? What sort of demons do they have?_

The one clear demon that Iruka had seen was an odd specimen. His glimpse of it had looked almost entirely human—a rare form among demons. That brought his mind to shape-shifters that were known to take human or human-like shape. Tanuki were the first thing that came to mind, but—

There was a polite knock on the door.

_"Hey, the way is clear. You should hurry up and go."_

Iruka hesitated before cracking open the door. The speaker was the dark-haired shinobi that had argued with the Uzushio-nin with the werewolves. Over his shoulder Iruka could see a werewolf carcass and other signs of battle, but no more fighting.

"Who are you?" Iruka demanded, opening the door a touch wider. "Why should we trust you?"

"Uzumaki Arashi," the stranger replied. "And I don't really care whether you trust us or not. My father ordered me to stop any attack on the ninja school and clear the way for kids to escape, and that's what I and my buddies have done. Stay here and wait, or leave for someplace else. It makes no difference to me."

Iruka bristled. "You don't care about what happens to innocent children?"

"Ignore our brother," one of the orange-haired twins side, striding into view from the left.

"He's a bitter soul," the other twin added, just one step behind his twin.

"Of course I am," Arashi snorted. "We're here risking our skins for demon-hunters that would gladly slit our throats if they knew what we were and hoping that our helpful actions will earn us mercy."

"You sound like a Kurohi," one of the twins observed with disapproval.

"Perhaps you should put on your Uzushio hitai-ate and go join them," the other said with a frown.

"They'd skin me alive for being an Uzumaki or sell me to Orochimaru," Arashi grunted. "No thanks!"

"What are you?" Iruka asked, struggling to hide a surge of nerves. _They're all demons?_

"Kitsune," Arashi answered. "You know: evil shape-shifting foxes that live and breathe lies and deceit, and are always plotting against mankind, and worship the monstrous nine-tails like a god." His words oozed sarcasm. "That's what you know of us and it _must_ be true because you know _everything_ there is to know about demons!"

Both the twins slapped the back of their black-haired brother's head.

_"Shut up!"_ they snapped in eerie unison.

"See what we mean," one said.

"He's a bitter soul," the other finished.

"Jerks," Arashi muttered, rubbing the back of his skull. "Anyway," he told Iruka, "we're moving on, so do what you want."

_"I'll go tell the others,"_ Iruka's chuunin comrade whispered and retreated back to the classrooms.

"Is…is Uzumaki Kushina a Kitsune, too?" Iruka asked, before the fox men could depart.

"Of course," Arashi replied. "She's our little sister."

"You know our sister?" one twin asked.

"Are you a friend?" the other inquired.

"I'm Naruto's friend," Iruka answered. _Not your sister's._

"What? That's here?" Arashi blinked. "You do know that's half-werewolf, right? Aren't you supposed to kill those things so they don't spread their disease?"

Iruka recoiled a step, shocked at the man's callous attitude towards his own nephew.

"So what if he's here?" a new voice scoffed. The twins withdrew, revealing the demon that had held the flaming swords. "If he's welcome here, he's not our problem, and Kushina-chan will be delighted." The red-haired demon man sheathed the last of his five swords and wrapped one of his five fox tails around Arashi's bicep to drag him away. "No more 'we should've killed him instead of exiling him' talk. Especially not where she can hear you. Unless you want her to break your jaw…again."

Iruka stared after the demons in human form as they withdrew.

_Perhaps Kushina-san's vague excuse of family trouble wasn't a lie after all…_

* * *

Naruto wanted to exercise his vocabulary of swears, but he didn't have the breath to waste on it. He and Shino and Shikamaru had circled the outside of the stadium twice in search of the transformed Sasuke, but had come up empty. So far they'd been fortunate enough to avoid running into any enemy forces but there was no telling how much longer their luck would last.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru panted. "We might as well give up. He could be anywhere by now."

"No way!" Naruto snapped, flexing his fingers as they sprouted claws. "Somebody might mistake him for a monster and try to kill him!"

"Why does he matter to you?" Shino inquired curiously. "His clan has sought your life once already."

"Sasuke's no part of them anymore," Naruto argued. "He's just like me now—cursed and cast out for what he is. If I were in his place, I'd want someone to come and help me. Wouldn't you?"

Shino gave a slow, slight nod; while Shikamaru just grunted as he flopped down on the roof they were standing on to catch his breath.

Naruto clenched his pointed teeth and scampered over to a neighboring roof and up a small clock tower to get a better view of his surroundings. He allowed himself to change a bit more, shifting his ears to hear better, enhancing his nose so he could smell better, and squinting his fox eyes so that he could see better. He'd set out to catch and subdue Sasuke so that the ex-Uchiha would be safe and he refused to fail his self-appointed mission.

_C'mon, c'mon, where are you Sasuke?_

In one direction he saw a boiling cloud of tengu. In another he saw several columns of smoke. Another area looked like it was draped in spider webs. And near the trees a dark gray dot fluttering low over the roof tops…

"Over there!" Naruto pointed. _That's gotta be him!_

Without waiting for the other two genin's opinions, Naruto took off, scrambling on all-fours to get an extra bit of speed.

_It could be tricky to follow him into the trees, but at least he's not running towards the Uchiha District!_

* * *

Mangetsu grimly flickered from summoning to summoning, dispatching death and destruction at every stop. He shattered tengu in mid-air, slit the throats of startled Oto-nin, disemboweled hulking spider demons, and destroying the spines of werewolves. Killing the lycanthropes was the worst. They were clearly under some external control, and even if they weren't they were just humans trapped within an ugly, violent curse. The werewolves were as much victims as they were villains.

He shoved aside his sorrow at their deaths for later. There was no way to try and save them in the midst of this nightmarish battle. If he tried, he would not only risk injury to himself, but leave the ninjas he was supporting in danger. So he sought to kill them as quickly and mercifully as he could.

_I'm sorry._ He drove a tri-kunai deep into a brown werewolf's neck between the base of its skull and its seal-stamped metal collar and twisted, mangling the spinal cord and displacing vertebrae. _I'm so sorry._

_Flash!_

An Eagle Tengu.

_Flash!_

An Oto-nin.

_Flash!_

A Crow Tengu.

_Flash!_

An Uzushio-nin.

_Flash!_

A werewolf.

He hoped that the ANBU hurling his knives were aiming carefully. If the kunai missed and flew towards an ally instead, he would kill that ally before he had time to realize what he'd done. That was the difficulty in using his jutsu like this. If his assistants weren't careful, he could be just as dangerous to his own side as he was to the enemy.

A brief lull in summonings came and he flashed to a roof top in a quiet sector and knelt to catch his breath. While he crouched there, he checked himself for injuries. His speed didn't always protect him, and with his flashing to every part of the village he couldn't really protect himself from enemies he wasn't attacking.

To heal, he just shifted towards wolf. So far he was halfway transformed and soon he'd have to take his mask off as it wouldn't fit over his wolf muzzle. With how briefly he was in any one place his being a werewolf shouldn't really be a problem. And the only ninja he was really concerned with were the Uchiha, and he really didn't see them as much of a danger.

_To kill me they'd have to catch me and not even the strongest Sharingan can trace the _hiraishin_…_


	54. Return of the Kitsune

**Chapter 53**

_Return of the Kitsune_

The battle in the heart of the stadium had ground down into a stalemate. The invaders were clustered on one side of the arena pit. Konoha's defenders stood on the other. Both groups stared each other down, seeking some weakness in the other, some advantage over the other, and neither found one.

Kakashi pressed his lips together behind his mask and wondered just how he'd ended up the leader of Konoha's forces in this area. He appeared strong and unbothered by the situation, but it was all just a front. Obito's Sharingan had almost completely drained him, despite the fact that he'd minimized his ninjutsu use and depended primarily on taijutsu and his store of kunai. Another ten minutes of fighting, and he'd collapse.

The enemy was unaware of this fact, and Kakashi was sure to give no outward hint of his weariness so they would _stay_ unaware.

With the active fighting at a standstill, adult genin and low-level chuunin had slipped into the stadium. One section at a time they awakened the genjutsu-trapped civilian spectators and herded them to evacuation routes and safety. At least a third of the audience had been moved from harm's way and so long as Kakashi's forces could keep the enemy from acting civilians would continue to escape.

Once the stadium was empty of non-combatants, the ninja who had put themselves under Kakashi's command would be free to attack the invaders without fear and with all the destructive jutsu they'd avoided out of concern for collateral damage.

_I wish I could read my book,_ he thought morosely as he ignored a wave of fatigue.

Unable to pull out his beloved book, the jounin studied his opponents while doing his best to feed as little chakra as possible to Obito's eye. Most of the enemy were Oto-nin—an almost entirely male force garbed in camouflage patterns and shades of violet and gray. The minority of Konoha's enemies were…_Uzushio-_nin.

_Kushina-san did mention that there were tensions in her home village a time or two. But I thought that she meant family or clan troubles. This is clearly a more serious problem that I realized._

While the Oto-nin were of dubious to moderate quality as fighters, the Uzushio ninja were clearly the superior foe. If there had been more than a handful of them, Konoha's defenders would be in a much tighter spot. Perhaps the Uzushio-nin could've even won this battle for the enemy if they'd come in enough force.

However, Konoha had been fortunate. There were only a dozen Uzushio-nin spread throughout a large host of Oto-nin of inferior quality. And the enemy forces seemed leaderless with Orochimaru locked away behind that barrier on the roof with the Hokage. With no field leader to spur the invaders to action, the stalemate seemed likely to continue until the clash on the roof was decided.

_Hopefully Hokage-sama will triumph._ Kakashi shifted slightly and adjusted his grip on the kunai that had drawn at the start of the standoff. _Without Orochimaru to drive or inspire his forces, this invasion will collapse. Or, at least the human element of it will._

That would cut down on the number of enemies all over the village and—

"Look up there," Kurenai said quietly from a position somewhere behind Kakashi's left shoulder.

The stands directly behind the clustered enemy had been evacuated first, leaving a barren safe zone of empty seats. On top of the wall that loomed over the abandoned part of the nosebleed section some kind of creature had appeared. And as Kakashi took notice of it, several other appeared to join it—more every minute.

Bracing himself, Kakashi strained Obito's Sharingan to identify the newcomers—

Foxes. More than two dozen of them. Most were rather ordinary in coloration, but a few were decidedly exotic. Some wore clothing while others wore nothing but their fur. All of them had two tails or more.

_Kitsune._

Kakashi wavered a bit, lightheaded from the strain of boosting the Sharingan and he opened his mouth to warn—

The small horde of demon foxes darted into motion, spilling down into the stadium towards the arena pit. The demons split into three branches as they charged—one that went left, one that went to the right, and a few that kept moving straight. In seconds the monsters swept down onto the enemy, striking their flanks and rear simultaneously.

The Konoha ninja were left untouched and ignored.

"…What do you think?" Genma asked, his voice barely audible over the sudden roar of renewed combat across the arena. "Do we pick some of them off, or hold back until one side wins?"

"We hold off," Kakashi decided as he observed a dark green fox with four tails slash up an Oto-nin with its tails while it went for another's throat with its teeth. "Someone go find some food pills while we wait."

Taking a risk to preserve his strength, Kakashi raised his hand to his hitai-ate to cover Obito's eye—

A silver Kitsune charged one of the Uzushio-nin…and the ninja retaliated by sprouting three fox tails of his own and trying to strangle the demon. Kakashi's eyes darted over the melee and every Uzushio fighter had done the same. Two of them were even in the process of fully transforming into more Kitsune.

"Interesting," Kakashi muttered.

_…I suppose this explains Naruto._

He slipped his weaponless hand into his kunai pouch and a finger caressed the spine of his book.

_I wonder if Minato-sensei knew…_

* * *

At the sounds of fresh combat, Kabuto looked up and adjusted his glasses. He expected to see Orochimaru's forces exchanging blows with Konoha's fighters. What he saw instead raised both his eyebrows.

_Kitsune?_

_ Fascinating._

The genin wasted another minute on watching the surprising fight before returning to his duties. Seeing his Konoha hitai-ate, other genin and chuunin assumed he was one of them and he'd been drafted into the forces that were evacuating civilians from the stadium. Kabuto greatly enjoyed the irony of releasing Leaf citizens from the genjutsu that he'd cast on them with no one any the wiser.

_Things aren't going to plan._ He briefly glanced up at the square barrier up on the roof that contained the Hokage and Orochimaru. _He's been in there too long. Orochimaru might lose._

_ …If he loses, I think I'll leave._

* * *

Kushina was in a thoroughly bad mood. The Final Trial had been interrupted. Orochimaru, his goons, and Yuudai's vengeance-hungry rabble had attacked. Sasuke was missing and she didn't know for sure if Naruto was in a safe place. And now Kasshoku had reappeared, forced her transformation, messed with Mikoto's head, and he was currently trying to rip out her throat.

Well, she'd started the throat-ripping-out attempts, but considering all the stuff that had led to her actions, she felt perfectly justified in her murderous aim.

At first glance, she held the clear advantage. He had four tails, while she had _five_. Every all out physical assault he launched at her, she could neutralize. And when she went after him, she always had one tail that he couldn't block. On top of that, the very fact that she had one more tail than he did meant that she had a significantly larger reserve of chakra.

But he was older than she was, giving him more than a decade of experience over her. And his _kitsune-bi_ was the recessive manifestation: violet lightning instead of blue fire. The electric attacks numbed and paralyzed and made it very risky for her to enter into close combat with him.

So what she started as a tooth-and-claw brawl quickly evolved into a long-distance slugging match with fire, lightning, and hurled bits of crates and merchandise.

Kushina growled as she ducked under yet another orb of violet electricity that Kasshoku had hurled at her and then she used three of her tails to pick up a half-smashed crate to toss it at him. The brown fox leapt aside and vanished down one of the many aisles formed by the towering stacks of goods stored in the warehouse. Snapping her jaws in frustration, she followed him at a cautious trot, all her sharp senses at full alert.

With the dim lighting, smoke and dust from their fighting, and the very restricted field of view created by the maze of wooden boxes stacked near the rafters, the warehouse was a tricky and dangerous place to fight. Her foe could vanish down the aisle and lay an ambush or circle around her to strike from an unexpected direction. He could even scale some of the stacks and attack her from above. The place favored defense and he was defending himself from her attacks.

_Perhaps if I goaded him into attacking me…_

Bounding up the nearest stack, she crouched at the top and turned in tight circles to try and keep track of all directions of possible attack.

"What's your angle?" she demanded. "What's got you up in arms against humans? There's no way you're old enough to have survived the Slaughter. Unless you're so vain that you won't let even a hint of your true age to show on your human face."

"I'm as old as I look," he chuckled darkly and she cursed internally.

_Damn, he's cloaked his voice! I can't get any fix on his location that way…_

"And as for my motivation," he continued. "…It's none of your business. And really, do I need a reason? They're beasts! They breed like vermin, they barely live longer than insects, and they spread over the land like a plague! They slaughter innocent demons along with the destructive ones and make no effort to discriminate between the two! They deserve to die. They _need_ to die!"

"Bullshit!" Kushina fired back. "They're people like you and I, and there are just as many decent ones as there are monstrous ones."

"You're mad," Kasshoku's voice sneered from everywhere and nowhere. "You're completely insane. Even if humans weren't a disgusting disease, they'll die long before you will. Why befriend things that'll die off like mosquitoes when you will last for centuries?"

"That's the price we pay for long lives," she shrugged, straining her eyes against the gloom in search of movement below. "We linger on while the world changes all around us with only memories of ghosts for company."

"How poetic," he mocked. "And like all poetry, it's mindless drivel."

"Spoken like a true barbarian," she retorted, sitting on a spike of anger. "That's all Biyokuchi are: blood-thirsty barbarians without the brains to do anything but kill, and when you can't do that, you bitch and moan like spoiled puppies!"

"This would be a case of the kettle calling the pot black," Kasshoku responded. "The Uzumaki are warriors just like the Biyokuchi. You aren't scholars, you're killers. The only thing that sets us apart is that your clan possesses a _kekkei genkai, _the _Kusari no Tenko_—the Chains of the Celestial Fox. Without that fancy power with its pretty name, you're no different than the Biyokuchi, or the Retsukai or the Kurokawa."

"My poor brother Kenshin got roped into marrying a Biyokuchi vixen," Kushina plowed on. "All she does is bitch and moan like she's supposed to be the center of the universe and the world should revolve around her. She's totally incapable of doing anything else that might be useful and everybody hates her. I bet you and her are first cousins. You totally remind me of Suzume."

"If you're trying to gain advantage over me by making me angry, you're doing a terrible job," the brown fox snorted.

Bolts of violet lightning exploded up from the dark aisle and crawled up the left side of the crate stack, leaving scorch marks and splintered wood as it rose. Kushina leapt to a neighboring tower of crates—

The wooden boards under her paws exploded, sending her tumbling down onto the hard-packed dirt floor. Ears ringing from the bomb, she shook her head and struggled to get her bearings. He seemed to materialize out of the shadows and pounced on her back, snapping his jaws on the back of her neck to sever her spine—

—And he found himself biting a crate full of porcelain plates.

Two stacks away, Kushina huddled in the space where the crate she's swapped places with had been and caught her breathe. She wasn't much of a genjutsu user, but she did know a few basic tricks and hiding the source of her voice was one of them. With all the adrenalin humming through her system it was even harder than usual for her to subtly weave her chakra the way that she needed to, but she preserved.

"Clever," she snarled. "Use _kitsune-bi_ to drive me onto a crate you hid an explosive note on. …Well, how do you like the taste of that box, hmm?"

"At least you're capable of learning," Kasshoku said, his voice's location still hidden. "Now the hunt will actually be a challenge!"

_Bastard!_ Kushina seethed, but forced herself to not react. He wanted her to try and attack him, or at least give her position away. _Damn he's good at this…_

_This fight is taking too long. I'm wasting energy! I need to end this, and fast. The question is how._

She gouged little furrows in the earthen floor with the claws of her right forepaw while her mind raced and her senses sought any sign of Kasshoku sneaking up on her.

_…It's the terrain that's the trouble. I can't win in here; not quickly enough. I should sneak out of here; let him waste his time looking for me while I go do something productive. Maybe I should set some fires so that the place burns down? I shouldn't have to pay for all the crap in here that gets ruined._

_ Probably._

_Ah, screw it! I'll—_

The roof a few yards to her right cracked and bowed downward, as if Chouza had grown himself into a giant and lightly punched it.

_What the hell?_

Then it happened again, this time ten yards to her left, and the roof cracked open allowing sunlight to pour through.

_Someone else must be fighting up there…I wonder who?_ She bunched her tails around her paws. _An ally of mine? Or his?_

The third time it happened a ragged circle of the roof vaporized into slivers and dust.

_Hmm, this could be just the distraction I need!_

* * *

Mikoto stumbled with fatigue as she dodged an enormous bolt of demonic lightning that left an enormous hole in the roof. The gash on her left arm ached and her eyes burned with the strain of keeping her Sharingan active longer than she had in years. But she forced herself to keep focus and keep moving. If she didn't keep ahead of the demon, he'd obliterate her.

The _rokubi_ Kitsune was relentless in his pursuit. He'd chased her almost gleefully in circles over dozens of warehouse roofs, nipping at her heels with electricity and his six sinuous tails. Now that her lungs were burning and her control over her Sharingan was wavering he was increasing the destructiveness of his attacks.

_He's definitely an A-rank demon—maybe even S-rank._

She'd tried to fight back early on, with no real success. Her _raiton_ attacks only seemed to irritate him, he'd laughed when she'd tried to trap him in a genjutsu, and taijutsu was out of the question. When she'd tried to close and launch a physical assault, his six tails would stab at her like spears, all at different speeds and angles. Her Sharingan would try to track all of them and predict what they'd do so she could avoid them, and while she was distracted he'd suddenly through a punch or a kick at her.

That was what had happened to her arm. She'd gotten too close in a bid to apply a more direct and powerful _raiton_ to him, but he'd managed to surprise her with a blow to her jaw. Before she could recover her wits and retreat to a safe distance, one of his tails shaped into a sharp blade had sliced into her forearm.

_I'm not dressed for this. I don't have any of my weapons. I'm tired and I'm starting to run low on chakra. _

_ I need help._

Mikoto faked a move left, then dove right to avoid another blast of sizzling energy. Her wounded arm dragged against the rough roofing material as she tucked and rolled and she swallowed a gasp of agony. When she tried to stand her foot slipped on a distorted section of roof and fell hard. Her left ankle twisted until there was a crunch.

Gray mist hazed the edges of her vision as her mouth opened in a silent scream of surprised pain. But her Sharingan stayed active somehow, and as she collapsed onto her side and clutched at her leg she saw her death coming in slow motion. She couldn't help but see every minute detail of the demon Yuudai as he leapt upwards to drop on her like a stooping hawk, his six tails curved around his body like deadly rays of the sun. Triumph blazed in his green slit-pupil eyes as he bared his sharp teeth in victory.

The look of shock that spread over the fox-tailed man's features was almost comical when Kushina's fox form crashed into his side, knocking him aside and tumbling him head over tails halfway across the warehouse roof.

_What?_

Mikoto blinked her watering eyes and when they opened again, the red vixen crouched before her, interposing her body between the collapsed Uchiha and the partly-transformed Kitsune. Her five tails lashed like an angry cat's and her spine was arched. Even though her head was turned away from Mikoto, the woman was certain that she was snarling like an angry beast.

"Ah, Kushina, there you are!" Yuudai laughed as he slowly righted himself. "I was wondering when I would run into you."

"Yuudai!" the vixen spat the name like a curse. "I was wondering if you'd show your face here."

"Hoping to see me?" he purred as dark blue and black fur started to sprout from his pale skin. "What a pleasant surprise! Have you changed your mind about offering yourself to me as a mate?"

"Hell no!" she barked. "The only reason I want to see you is to _kill you_!"

"Oh well…" Yuudai speed his transformation along and shed his long, flowing coat to reveal the simple, sleeveless outfit he wore underneath. "Since you've disappointed me," he said as he finished and stepped out of his human shoes, "I'm going to have to disappoint you. You won't kill me, I'll kill _you_!"

* * *

Hinata couldn't stop the trembling of her fingers or the wobbly feeling in her knees as she tried to strike an aggressive posture at Tenten's side. They'd made it to her relative's weapon shop and gotten armed without too much trouble. But now they were trapped by the enemy, unable to help the village at large.

The enemy was a single ninja; a pale teenage boy older than all of them, but not yet an adult. He was almost colorless except for a few red markings around his eyes, and the way he wheezed and coughed hinted that he was sickly. And the fact that he was ill was probably the only thing that had kept him from killing them all yet.

He had a _kekkei genkai_—a very powerful one that he was very good at using. The teen was able to grow bones both to defend himself and to use as weapons. He'd grown some bone plates underneath his skin to protect himself against Tenten's blades, and he sprouted sharp spars and blades of bone to hurt Lee, Kiba, Akamaru, and Chouji when the boys tried to attack him. Ino had made one attempt to possess the sickly Oto-nin, but either by luck or on purpose he'd dodged her disembodied soul and he'd almost managed to stab her body before she could recover. Sakura hadn't tried to attack him yet and instead had hung back and was studying the problem while she fiddled with some kunai. Hinata had tried her luck against him either; she didn't think she should try until she managed to focus her Byakugan so that she could see his skeleton and track what his bones were doing.

_I wish Neji-nii-san was here,_ she fretted. _He'd be able to compensate much faster. And Tenten-san and Lee-san are his teammates. Together with them he would surely triumph._

But Neji wasn't here. Hinata had no idea where he was. She hoped that he was alright, but a part of her mind couldn't help but imagine all the horrible things that _might_ have happened to him.

_I wish Kurenai-sensei was here._ Hinata flinched as she watched Kiba get stabbed in the shoulder by a bone blade while the Oto-nin destroyed Akamaru's false-Kiba form with another blade jutting out of the elbow of his other arm. _With her genjutsu, we could win. None of us can craft illusions like she can._

But she wasn't here. And Neji wasn't here. They—the bits and pieces of four different genin teams—were the only ones here, and they had to do the best they could. If they didn't no one would save them.

"Alright," Sakura muttered as Lee pulled Kiba off the bone that had impaled his shoulder and dragged him to safety while Akamaru took cover behind a nearby utility pole. "Let's see if this does it!"

Hinata watched through her active Byakugan as the pink-haired kunoichi started hurling a dozen of kunai at the bone-wielder. There were small pouches tied to the ring-ends of the throwing blades that burst as the teen knocked the weapons aside with his unnaturally hard bone-blades. The air around him quickly filled with tiny scraps of paper barely larger than stamps that fluttered around like flower petals, or snow. Then Sakura flung the last kunai, which trailed a short-fused exploding tag.

_BOOM!_

The explosion was much stronger than Hinata had anticipated and their entire group was knocked off their feet. Windows a block and a half in every direction shattered. And the enemy was lost in a pall of smoke.

"Did it work?" Ino asked, her voice sounding odd around the ringing in Hinata's ears. "Did Forehead get him?"

"I hope so," Tenten panted as she fingered a fresh storage scroll loaded with throwing weapons. "Nice use of stamp bombs."

"Thank you," Sakura sighed. "Those were hard to put together."

Chouji said something, but Hinata didn't hear him. Her Byakugan had deactivated when she'd been knocked over the by the blast, but as she regained control she could see through the smoke. Their fight wasn't over.

The ghoulish teen was still standing.

Before Hinata could find her voice and warn them, a breeze cleared the air and they saw for themselves. He was badly burned and in a few places his white skin had been torn away from the bone armor he'd formed underneath it to protect himself. The young man wavered, but kept his feet.

And then odd angular black lines started appearing on his skin as if invisible ink brushes were drawing them, and he charged at them—

The ground shook violently and a fissure opened up just in front of the Oto-nin, causing him to stumble and come to a halt. Before the shaking had stopped a handful of senbon needles flew in from a side street and struck him. They didn't penetrate very deep because of the bone plates and they fell out in seconds, but the skin they'd touched turned red and swollen.

_Poison._

Hinata blinked and adjusted the focus of her Byakugan to see who had come to their aide. Her vision peered through the shops that formed the corner to their left and saw two youthful-looking women…and a pet pig. One of the women was slender with dark-colored hair and some sort of metal contraption mounted on her wrist. The other had light hair tied into two loose ponytails and possessed some impressively large breasts. And the big had a little coat and a pearl necklace.

"I wonder how much calcium you need to take in on a daily basis to stay healthy," the fair-haired woman drawled, her words loud enough for Hinata and her group to hear clearly.

"Who is that?" Ino frowned.

"Can you see, Hinata?" Tenten asked.

"I-I d-don't know," Hinata squeaked. "I-I've never seen—"

The Oto-nin didn't answer the newcomer; he just raised his hands towards both new woman and fired the bones from the tips of his fingers at them. Hinata gasped, but both women managed to avoid serious hits. One bone bit grazed the dark-haired woman's shoulder, and another ruffled the fair-haired woman's hair. And then the big-bosomed woman retaliated by stomping her foot…and making the ground shake again, and the fissure widen.

_She did that?_ Hinata gaped._ Just by stomping her foot once?_

While the Oto-nin was briefly unbalanced, the dark-haired woman raised the odd device on her wrist, pulled a wire, and it fired more senbon needles. This time the weapons hit him in the stomach. Again they didn't penetrate very deep, but they distracted him just long enough for the ponytailed woman to charge him and…punch the ground.

Now in the intersection, all the genin could watch as the street buckled and cratered. The pavement cracked like an eggshell and the shockwaves from her blow forced some bits to sink while other rose up like flat-topped spikes. The quivering, uneven ground managed to unbalance the Oto teen and force him down on one knee.

And then the blonde woman stood, took three steps, and slammed her fist into the pale teenagers jaw before he could bring his bone-spike encrusted forearms up to block, which sent him flying backwards down the street and out of their sight. But Hinata could still see; a few shops were no real barrier to her sight. Their enemy bounced a few times like a rag doll before sliding to a halt. Her strike had been so powerful that not even his bones could survive it.

His jaw and neck were broken in several places, and he was quite dead.

"Thanks Shizune," the blond woman said as she dusted her hands off. "That poison slowed his reaction time just enough."

"You're welcome, Tsunade-sama," the dark-haired woman replied happily as she and the pig hurried over to her side.

"Tsunade-sama?" Tenten breathed, her brown eyes shining with awe. "Tsunade-sama's _here_?"

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan so she didn't have to see the dead teenager anymore and glanced at Tenten oddly.

_Tenten-san usually only looks like that when she's admiring a weapon._

The busty blond turned and looked in their direction and frowned.

"What are you genin doing here? Shouldn't you be guarding the civilians in the caves?"

"Tsunade-sama!" Tenten moved so quickly she might have teleported in front of the woman to bow. "Please teach me the secret of your awesome strength! It is my dream to become a kunoichi as powerful and respected as you!"

The blond woman looked at Tenten's adoring face and rubbed at the odd purple mark on her forehead like she was getting a headache.

"When I find that old woman that tricked me into coming back here, I'm going to pulverize her!" the legendary ninja hissed.

Hinata froze mid-fidget in confusion.

_What old woman?_


	55. Unleashed

**Chapter 54**

_Unleashed_

Kushina tensed and charged at Yuudai, intent on hitting him before he was finished transforming. If she hit him while his joints and skull were stuck in-between forms he would be significantly impaired and unable to effective defend himself. It was a very narrow window of opportunity, and if she missed it she was probably screwed.

All the advantages that she'd had over Kasshoku, _Yuudai_ had over her. He had _six_ tails to her five, which gave him one more dangerous appendage than she and all the energy reserves that came with it. And worse, he was a few years older than her, giving him a slight edge in experience, too.

So, she needed to move fast and rip out his throat before he could—

Something snagged her left hind leg and yanked her off-course, swinging her aside with enough force to almost dislocate her hip. Kushina let out an involuntary yelp and bounced and rolled a few times before coming to a halt. As she surged back to her paws, she choked on a curse as she caught sight of the one who had thwarted her desperate attack.

"Damn you, Kasshoku!"

The brown fox had caught on to her escape much faster than she'd hoped that he would. He must've heard her snarling at Yuudai and saw no reason not to butt in. And now the odds of her winning this fight went from slim to abysmal.

_I should've just grabbed Mikoto and run!_ she castigated herself while she split her glare between the two males. _But __**no**__, I just __**had**__ to pick a fight with Yuudai! I just __**had**__ to kill his sorry ass!_

"What, I wasn't a good enough opponent for you?" the brown fox demanded mockingly. "A yonbi isn't a big enough challenge? You need to jump straight up to a rokubi?"

"Shut your yap, cur!" Kushina snarled. "You—_rraaargh!_"

Yuudai now wore the sleek form of a navy blue fox with six bristling tails instead of a man, and he was on her like a flash. His jaws closed on the scruff of her neck and his chest pressed down on her back, nearly forcing her forelegs to collapse with his sudden weight. He wasn't biting her neck to break it, all he had between his teeth was fur and loose skin, but he'd clamped down hard enough to draw blood and cause pain. Automatically her tails struck at his back, but Kasshoku had gleefully interfered, pinning four of her tails with his, and immobilizing the fifth with his teeth. She tried to buck free, but Yuudai wound two of his tails around her back legs and Kasshoku gave her a painful zap of electric _kitsune-bi_ to lock up her muscles.

She was trapped with no _kawarimi_ escape nor any hope of help nearby—

Her numb legs gave out and Yuudai shifted over her prone form and his free tails started to slowly slice away her human clothes, bit by bit.

"B-bastard!" she choked out around clenched teeth as panic tried to close her throat. _He's not going to—_

Something sharp and metallic clattered to the roof as her top shredded—

Kasshoku howled in shocked pain and the air filled with the stench of burning fur. His grip on her tails vanished and the brown fox started desperately rolling around, putting out the flames that had sparked on his back. Mentally kicking herself, she grabbed a hold of inspiration and channeled her chakra into blue flame over the entirety of her body, forcing Yuudai to release her and leap free with a very undignified yelp.

_They both have the recessive type of _kitsune-bi._ That means that electricity doesn't bother them—they could shove a tail into a light socket and just feel a little tingle. But that leaves them vulnerable to fire…and the dominant manifestation of _kitsune-bi.

_I can't believe I forgot about that!_

It was a stupid mistake to make. Kitsune were extremely resistant to whatever element their _kitsune-bi_ took; it would be very silly for a fox demon to electrocute itself or set itself on fire when it was trying to use its inborn power. But they were _only_ resistant to the element their _kitsune-bi_ was, which meant that since her form was fire, she wasn't bothered by fire but she could be stunned by electricity, and since her current enemies' form was electricity they were immune to _raiton_ attacks but she could set them on fire.

_I need to try and train more often with Kitsune with electric _kitsune-bi_ so I don't make this dumb mistake again._

Now free, Kushina labored to her paws again, snapped up the dropped weapon in her jaws, and staggered away from the males as the last shreds of her clothing dropped off her body in smoldering bits of ash. Her legs didn't work quite right; Kasshoku's _kitsune-bi_ still had her muscles stiff so her limbs didn't want to bend and felt numb. But she got away from the two singed Kitsune and put herself between them and the hobbled Mikoto.

"You set yourself on fire, and you aren't even singed?" the Uchiha asked, her tone pained and incredulous.

"Yep," Kushina muttered as she passed the paper-wrapped kunai to one of her tails. "That's how I ruined my clothes that one time a couple of weeks back when you caught me coming back in the morning. I was in a hurry to change so I just roasted 'em off." She wrinkled her nose. "Now I have to buy more, damn it!"

"You bitch!" Yuudai roared, brushing angrily at the charred fur on his chest and belly. "You'll pay for that!"

Kasshoku was even more furious than Yuudai; he was more severely burned and one of his tails was almost naked from having all the fluffy fur charred off.

"I'll teach you to set me on fire, Uchiha harlot!" the brown yonbi bellowed.

"No you won't," Kushina scoffed. "You bastards are already dead!"

And then her primary tail snapped like a catapult, flinging the kunai it had curled around like a missile. The blade was a silver-and-white blur as it whizzed low between the two enemy foxes and lodged point-down into the flat roof several feet beyond their positions. Both males looked over their shoulders at it and when they saw that the paper wrapped around the handle wasn't an exploding tag or letter bomb, they both laughed and turned back to face her.

"Your funny kunai missed," Yuudai sneered. "So, you were saying—"

The blue fox didn't see the golden werewolf in the torn black bodysuit and blood-spattered white ANBU armor appear beside the kunai. Yuudai reared backwards and twisted sideways when the wolf's clawed hand slapped the side of his head. One of the werewolf's claws caught on Yuudai's piratical golden hoop earring and tore it from the Kitsune's triangular ear, leaving a bloody tear as he staggered away with a yip that sounded like a shriek.

Kasshoku never saw him at all; the brown fox's neck was snapped and his spine shattered before he sensed that anything was wrong.

"Yuudai, meet my boyfriend," Kushina grinned, studiously not looking at Kasshoku's twitching corpse. "Minato, meet Yuudai. Not only is he one of the planner and plotters, he tried to kill me and Mikoto."

"This is your boyfriend?" Yuudai snorted, swiftly regaining his composure. "You managed to find a mindless werewolf and train it? I'm almost impressed."

The werewolf stared coldly at Yuudai as he loomed over Kasshoku's carcass and slowly flexed his claw-tipped fingers, flicking Yuudai's bloody earring aside.

Trusting Minato to handle things, Kushina turned the majority of her attention to the Uchiha just behind her.

"So…you set Kasshoku on fire?"

"It seemed worth trying," Mikoto shrugged, her pale face tight with pain.

"Well…thanks," Kushina muttered awkwardly. Mikoto was her friend, but she was also an Uchiha, a human ninja taught from childhood to hunt demons and that Kitsune in particular were deceitful monsters that were never to be trusted. Instead of helping, Kushina had expected her old pal to either attack all the Kitsune, or stand aside and doing nothing as the three demons fought to the death. Yet Mikoto had only set fire to Kasshoku and had made no move to harm Kushina. "So, can you walk? We should get out of the way."

"No," Mikoto sighed, blinking her eyes and turning her eyes from red back to black. "I think my ankle's broken. Is that—is that really Minato?"

"I'll give you a ride then," Kushina said and flopped down on her belly so that Mikoto could crawl onto her back. "And yes, it's Minato over there, about to eviscerate that bastard."

Yuudai made an insulting sound when he heard her comment and his six tails crackled with violet electricity. But when the dark blue fox tried to fire off the demonic bolts, the lightning barely went a foot before it slammed into a swirling barrier of wind. Even though his large claws made hand seals tricky, Minato had little trouble trapping the Kitsune in a simple vortex—a D-rank _fuuton_ jutsu.

_I don't think I'll ever understand how a gust of wind can beat a bolt of lightning_, Kushina mentally muttered as Mikoto hesitantly arranged herself on the vixen's back. _But stupid as it is, I can't complain. How fortunate that Minato's affinity is the perfect counter… Yuudai is so screwed!_

Once she thought that Mikoto was settled, Kushina carefully rose to all-fours and trotted to the edge of the roof. When she tried to jump to a neighboring warehouse she didn't completely compensate for the extra weight and she landed hard. Mikoto choked on a whimper as her damaged ankle was jarred.

"Sorry," Kushina winced. "I don't have much practice giving rides."_ Naruto was so much smaller the last time, and I never carried him around up on roofs._

Mikoto said nothing.

Yuudai gave up on his lightning _kitsune-bi_ with an angry snarl. Minato canceled the vortex and almost casually gathered a _rasengan_ in the palm of his right hand. The Kitsune barely glanced at the concentrated chakra storm before charging—

Minato was suddenly right beside Yuudai instead of yards away. His left hand closed around the Kitsune's neck and he hefted the demon's upper half into the air was ease. Before Yuudai could recover or react beyond a choked gasp, Minato thrust the destructive sphere into the fox's flank, just underneath the ribcage, and mangled his guts and backbone. The werewolf released the large fox's neck and the demon dropped like a string-cut marionette, vomiting blood when he impacted the roof.

"S-stupid an'mal," Yuudai gurgled feebly. "Don' you know…y're s'posed t' lose. Justa dumb b-beas…"

With a wet cough his body shuddered and went limp as his blood and pulverized guts puddled around him.

"It really is Minato," Mikoto breathed. "He must've tagged that Kitsune when he first arrived."

"Thanks for the save, Minato!" Kushina cheerfully shouted over to the werewolf. "I don't know why you were whining about thinking like an Omega before—you totally dominated those creeps like an awesome Alpha wolf!"

Minato gave her a bashful wave before winking out of sight, off to answer some other summons and kill some other enemy.

"You can understand with werewolves?" Mikoto asked.

"Not when he's like that," Kushina replied. "But you know all those stories about that creep Madara that said that he could switch between forms whenever he wants that everybody thinks is total BS? Well…apparently it's not all total BS."

Kushina scanned the small sea of warehouse roofs and picked a direction that led back to the stadium and followed it, doing her best to make smoother jumps and gentler landings to avoid irritating Mikoto's ankle.

"Did Minato know…about you?" Mikoto inquired after several minutes of slow travel.

"Not until recently," Kushina answered, then plowed headlong into awkward territory. "Hey, Mikoto, I…I'm sorry about…not telling you. I really couldn't, you know? Even if—"

"I…I'm not going to worry about it right now," Mikoto declared. "I don't have time. Konoha is being invaded and I need to find Sasuke. I-I'll figure it out later."

"Good plan," Kushina said with a grave nod. "Let's do that."

_Maybe, just maybe…_the fox thought, trying not to hope too much…_we can still be friends._

* * *

Kaito glowered at the cursed sword, Kusanagi. The damned blade didn't need to be held in Orochimaru's hand to be deadly. All that it needed was a steady stream of the hanyou's chakra and some minor direction. Every time Kaito felt that he had the sword's pattern down, or it had slowed due to Orochimaru casting a jutsu on Sarutobi, he would try to slap a seal on it to eliminate it from the fight, but Orochimaru would notice and Kusanagi would dart out of his reach or swing wildly, forcing Kaito to back off. And every time Kaito sought to attack Orochimaru directly, the floating weapon would seek to carve out his kidney or slice open his spine.

_I __**really**__ hate this sword._

His foxfire only made the blade get hot. The sword, like many "legendary" swords, was demon-forged and was therefore nigh unbreakable. Worse, in addition to its ability to be semi-independent of its wielder, its edge was keen enough to cut through stone, which made it worse than foolhardy to try and grab it or hope that it would get stuck in anything.

_If only this damn thing would let me sit still just long enough to cast a genjutsu…_

If he'd had the opportunity to cast even a single layer of illusion, he could escape the stabbing point of Kusanagi and attack Orochimaru while the hanyou was still primarily focused on his petty vengeance against his old sensei. A few good attacks from him would help Sarutobi overcome his former pupil, or at least weaken him to the point that he couldn't keep Kusanagi going so that Kaito could double-team him. And once Orochimaru was eliminated the battle would be half-won. Otogakure would be leaderless, leaving the mad Uzushio foxes and their allies as the only serious threat.

But he had no time to focus and craft an illusion that would allow him to escape the sword and strike out at its distant wielder.

Duck. Dodge. Spin. Flip. _Kawarimi. Doton _wall. Roll left. _Kitsune-bi_. Duck and dive. Jump right—

Kaito hissed as the blade grazed his bicep, slashing open his sleeve and drawing blood.

_I really, __**really**__ hate this sword!_

While Kaito was kept occupied, Orochimaru did his best to mess with Sarutobi's head while they dueled with taijutsu and ninjutsu. The half-snake wickedly taunted his old mentor with memories of the past when he'd been the dutiful, beloved student. And the move Sarutobi was dragged down memory lane, the more likely he was to forget the present and the big picture, and make a stupid mistake.

_It would be great if I could get some help in here,_ he grumbled as he released a smoke bomb to obscure his exact location. _But these teenage bodyguards of Orochimaru are good. Their barrier is solid and they've managed to protect themselves from any attack._

Kaito almost bent over backwards as the floating sword slashed blindly through the smoke, seeking a lucky hit. He would've tried to lock down the weapon under his little smokescreen but it was flailing so wildly he was liable to get his hand or even his head lopped off before he could get the chakra-blocking seal set. Clenching his sharpening teeth, Kaito rolled out of the smoke and waited for the smoke to follow, weaving an illusion and vainly hoping that he'd have time to complete it before he had to move again—

_zzzZap-crack!_

Snapping his head towards the source of the racket, Kaito slowly grinned as he saw what was happening. Several fully transformed Kitsune had made it up to the highest stadium roof and were interfering with the square barrier that locked him, Hiruzen, and Orochimaru away from the rest of the village. One or two hovered at the mid-point of each side of the square, equidistant from the corners where the Oto-nin generated their barriers, and tried forming small barriers of their own perpendicular to the current barrier. With skill, strength, and more than a little luck they could tear a hole in the wall of energy, if not short-circuit all the barriers and neutralize the Oto-nin powering it. But even if they couldn't manage a single tiny hole, their efforts made plenty of noise and a fine distraction.

Baring his fangs in a feral smile, Kaito dashed to Kusanagi while Orochimaru and Hiruzen gawked at the pair of Kitsune attacking the north side of the barrier. He caught the sword hilt and started forcing a crude _fuuin_ on the handle. His skills with seal work were mediocre at best, but a simple chakra-block was well within his capabilities. The sword bucked in his hands three times before he overpowered it and the animated weapon clattered to the red-tiled roof.

_Now if that hanyou brat wants to use it, he'll have to swing it around in his own hands like any other creature!_

"How irritating," Orochimaru hissed, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the multi-tailed foxes to glare at Kaito. "I really wished that you hadn't decided to interfere. Without your meddling, my business with Sensei would be complete and I could hunt down those fine Kitsune specimens out there. They are far superior to that senile elder and the infant pups I have gotten my hands on so far."

"So Kurohi sold out an oldster, too," Kaito murmured more to himself than anyone. He narrowed his eyes at the snake-like man and raised his voice. "I don't suppose you'd tell me if those babies are still alive, would you?"

"For now," the hanyou smirked cruelly. "Should I acquire more desirable specimens, however, I'll find some use for them. Young creatures can be so fragile."

"If you wanted to get your scaly hands on more mature Kitsune," Kaito responded, forcing back his rage and disgust, "all you had to do was capture those Kurohi that you met with."

Orochimaru narrowed his golden eyes and pressed his thin lips into a frown.

"Remember what I told you, little naga," Kaito taunted, preparing his imaginary knife for a brutal twist, "I am what _every_ citizen of Uzushio is."

Kaito lurched forward and dropped onto his hands and triggered his change. Six tails, deep gray with a black band running between the gray fur and the white tips, sprouted from the base of his spine and lashed over his curved back. Gray, black, and white fur spread over his bare skin as his skull stretched outward and reshaped. His un-mangled ear grew into a black-furred triangle and his pupils lengthened into vertical slits. The joints in his limbs restructured for quadruple locomotion and his hands and feet shrank into sharp-claws paws. As his transformation completed itself, Kaito dropped his lower jaw in a canine grin.

"The Kitsune that you so covet have been under your nose the whole time," he mocked cheerfully. "How does it feel to have been so cleverly tricked? So thoroughly used? Hmm?"

Orochimaru's narrow face briefly twisted into an ugly mask of naked rage before, with clear effort, he smoothed it back into a more neutral form.

"…I see. I appreciate your information." Orochimaru pulled a seal-stamped medallion from inside his shirt and channeled a quick burst of chakra through it. "Once I finish dealing with you, I believe I'll leave for Uzushio to harvest some new subjects."

Hiruzen had recovered his breath by now after a brutal and relentless taijutsu dance Orochimaru had chased him through, and now he generated claws of stone to try and crush his former student's legs. Orochimaru slithered clear of danger, but Kaito was on him, no longer held back by the hanyou's wretched sword. The half-naga was a graceful dodger but he was not used to avoiding six tail strikes at once and Kaito managed to put three tears in his clothes and draw a bit of blood on Orochimaru's cheek before the rogue could flip clear.

_Hah, now the gloves are __**really**__ off!_

* * *

In the same moment that Orochimaru pushed a chakra surge through the medallion around his neck, all the control collar sets in Uzushiogakure no Sato's possession catastrophically failed. More than half the creatures under control had been killed and so they were unaffected. But the controlled creatures that were still alive were suddenly free of any compelled rage or physical control.

The eight surviving Eagle Tengu came free with harsh cries of confusion and rage. They shucked the seal-covered collars and manacles, hurling them to the village below with disdain. Then they climbed high into the sky, shredding their distant crow demon cousins with extreme prejudice as they made their escape. This wasn't there territory and they had no interest in quarreling with humans over land that was not their own.

The reaction of the enslaved werewolves was more varied. A few remained locked in berserk rage until they were killed. Those that were already badly wounded wolves stopped their insane thrashing to wail in pain until they were mercy-killed by the nearest ninja. And the rest—the minimally injured and the few completely untouched—stopped mid-motion and looked around in fear and complete disorientation.

The bulk of these survivors had the great misfortune to be near, or be surrounded by, ninja of the Uchiha clan. Now that they weren't rabid berserkers, they were much softer targets and the Uchiha took full advantage of it. They completely ignored the fearful yelps, gestures that pled for mercy, and grovels of surrender as they put their silver blades to work. Their shameful, disowned ancestor had brought this scourge to their land and it was the duty to eradicate it without hesitation to slowly expunge the stain on their good name.

Only three werewolves survived the bloodbath.

One female, who had been a vain and childish teenage prostitute, took one look at the squad of kunai-wielding chuunin surrounding her and burst into tearful sobs. Startled and then overwhelmed by pity, the young men very cautious tried to comfort the slender, undersized werewolf instead of killing her. They ended up luring her into an ice cream parlor with candy and ice cream while the fastest of them tried to find someone high-ranked to figure out what they were supposed to do with a weepy lycanthrope.

Another, who had been (and still was) a happy alcoholic, "awakened" near a bar. Having been without a drink for a long time (much longer than he realized) he completely ignored the ninja around him—various members of the Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clans—to run inside and dive behind the counter. The bemused shinobi found him eagerly guzzling straight from the taps, getting less than half the beer in his mouth. When he eventually noticed the hunters, instead of attacking them, he cheerfully offered them some random bottles of booze. Seeing that he was contained and would shortly be unconscious from overindulgence, the ninja drew straws to see who was going to find and ANBU to alert the Hokage that there was a werewolf that he could study.

And the last, a former beggar and aspiring thief, had the good luck to find himself in the company of the Inuzuka when he returned to sanity. The Inuzuka were startled to hear him making sounds that made sense in their ears. The werewolf was startled when he caught sight of himself in a mirror on display in a shop window. There was denial at first, but when he saw his hands—furry and clawed—and his tail and his naked body coated in a shaggy pelt he was overwhelmed with horror. One of the Inuzuka happened to be vet, who had happened to bring her medical bag with her. Her emergency supply of sedatives was the only thing that prevented the cursed creature from completely shredding his own face in an attempt to "get the monster out".

A fourth werewolf almost made it. The former laid-off factory worker had been cornered by a pair of Uchiha—Itachi and his cousin and sometimes-girlfriend, Chi. When the collar's influence ceased, the burly brown wolf blinked owlishly, saw their silver blades, and fell to his knees, hands clasped in a begging gesture. Itachi hesitated. Chi didn't.

"Hah! I killed it all by myself while you held back like a chicken!" Chi giggled and wiped a few spots of blood from her cheek. "You're never going to live this down, Itachi-kun!"

The clan heir said nothing and turned away, feeling vaguely ill as he reviewed the slaughter of the pleading monster that his Sharingan had burned into his memory.

_Somehow it just didn't seem right._

* * *

Yuuta sipped at the tea he'd brought with him in a thermos as he sat on a moss-covered fallen log. All around him the fifty most trusted of his village labored on their special task. They had started later, traveled a bit farther than the rest, and there had been some unexpected delays…but now they were on track.

"Yuuta-sama," a Myouboku fox said to him with a slight bow. "We have mapped out most of the boundaries, but a few tails still elude us."

At a gesture, the black Kitsune showed him a rough map sketched out on a blank scroll and after a moment's consideration, Yuuta nodded decisively.

"It's good enough. Pass the order to set the charges. Once the trees are destroyed, we can start arranging the sacrifices."

"_Hai._"

The elder fox repressed a smirk as he watched his orders being carried out. The interference of the Uzumaki and the other foolish foxes allied with them was a serious crimp in the Kurohi's plans, but not entirely unexpected after their secret flight from the village. But there was no way that they would be able to stop this.

_They won't see this coming. And once we finish here our weapon will have the humans gibbering with fear while we wipe out the hiding places of the Uzumaki, Hoshitama, and Furukawa one by one. Then it will be time to take up the Kyuubi no Yoko's work…the __**right**__ way this time._

The loss of the enslaved werewolves and eagle demons was no problem at all. He had anticipated that Orochimaru might try to double-cross them and sabotage the control collars he'd given them, so their plans didn't hinge on the creatures that wore them. The werewolves had been a weapon of terror and vengeance, and controlled or not they would serve their purpose perfectly well once they were within Konoha's walls. And the Eagle Tengu had been a way of beefing up their "air force" just a little bit, but they had more than enough Crow Tengu to make the eagles' loss nearly painless.

The bulk of their forces needed no collar to compel them to fight. The crows would do just about anything to participate in mayhem that would net them free food and as much sparkly loot as they could carry. The spiders would prey upon anything, but they viewed human meat as a delicacy. And the rest were Kitsune of Uzushiogakure no Sato—all volunteers who had an ax to grind or a desire to slaughter humans…or both.

_It's too bad that the collars didn't last longer, though,_ he mused as he polished off his capful of tea and poured another. _Werewolves would make useful servants; uncomplaining and capable of tormenting human prisoners. However, there is that drooling problem they seem to have…_

Several letter bombs were triggered a good quarter mile away and several massive trees toppled sideways with agonized groans.

_Soon, now…very soon…_


	56. Curse VS Curse

**Chapter 55**

_Curse VS Curse_

_He was going home._

He was lost—there were trees, trees, trees everywhere and they all looked the same.

_His family was waiting for him._

Crashing recklessly through the leaves he sprinted faster and faster in search of the way he had to go.

_He had to hurry._

A branch snapped under his foot and he fell and flared his wings to control his descent as his lungs burned for more air.

_When he got home everything would be alright._

His claw-nails scrabbled at the tree bark as he climbed up the nearest tree so that he could continue his mad dash.

_He didn't want to be late—_

He sensed something and paused, strained his ears, sniffed the air, narrowed his eyes, licked his lips…he was being pursued.

_He was…he was going home?_

Baring his teeth in a feral snarl he set about hunting the hunters, moving in a wide arc towards the direction he felt they were in.

_He…he had to go home!_

In the distance he could see them…three of them.

_His mother and brother and father were waiting for him!_

They moved at a steady, purposeful pace, flitting through the canopy—they were coming after him to stop him!

_He didn't have time to waste; he had to go home!_

They were just like that man with the needle in his mouth; they were going to make him stop!

_He…couldn't let anyone stop him from making it home…_

His spiny, leathery wings tensed and furled as his eyes watched them tree-hop along the trail he'd taken.

_He…he was going home…and…to do that…he was going to get them before they got him!_

* * *

"What the heck is he doing all the way out here?" Naruto wondered aloud as Shino followed all the broken little branches and scuffed tree bark that marked Sasuke's passage.

"Maybe the transformation has him disoriented," Shikamaru theorized. "He's definitely not behaving rationally. In order to avoid being mistaken for an invading monster he should've stayed where he was in the arena."

"I believe we are gaining," Shino reported. "The signs appear to be growing fresher."

"But you're not sure?" Naruto frowned. _I can't tell. I'm not that good at scenting yet and…I think Sasuke smells different._

"Kiba is the superior tracker," Shino responded simply. "My primary tracking methods involve my insects and I have not planted one on Sasuke."

"It's too bad that Neji got his neck cut open," Shikamaru muttered. "His Byakugan would be able to locate Sasuke a whole lot faster."

"…Do you think Neji will be okay?" Naruto inquired as they slowed their pace slightly. _I don't like the guy but…a slashed throat…_

"There wasn't a lot of blood and he didn't seem to have any trouble breathing," Shikamaru shrugged. "It's probably not too serious, but he won't be able to fight unless a medic clears him."

Shino suddenly put on the brakes and Shikamaru and Naruto had to jump to the side to avoid stumbling into his back.

"What the heck—" Naruto sputtered.

"This broken branch," Shino said, pointing to a snapped tree limb a few feet ahead of them, "seems to indicate that he fell here. It will take a few moments to determine his trail."

Naruto opened his mouth to complain…but a creaking sound caught his attention. It was faint but it sounded close and there wasn't nearly enough wind to make any branches wave enough to make that noise. Feeling unnerved, he shifted his ears to better hear and locate the source of any other sounds.

"Naruto…your ears…" Shikamaru trailed off uncertainly.

The fox-eared boy ignored him. Another soft creak and the faintest rustling of leaves reached his hearing. His slit-pupil eyes were drawn to a dense clump of leaves formed by the overlapped of branches from two different trees just to their left a few yards away—

_"Hrraaa!"_

The leaves exploded and a gray winged shape surged at them with spinning red Sharingan blazing against pitch black sclera.

* * *

Jiraiya grimaced as he surveyed an alley way choked with spider webs, wary for any movement that would indicate a trapped human or a lurking spider demon.

"Damned spiders haven't even been in the walls for an hour and look at all of this…"

After defeating the giant two-headed snake demon that had been summoned to crash through the village wall, Jiraiya had assisted the forces in that area in riding it of invaders. Now that most of them had been taken care of or driven back out, he'd come to the sectors that had fallen prey to the spiders. His toads loved spiders and he'd summoned several mid-sized ones to hop around the neighborhoods and devour anything with eight legs that they found.

"I wonder how they even approached the spiders," he muttered to himself as he used a broken broom handle to swipe at the webs so he could get a better look. "Those things will even hunt and eat each other if the mood strikes 'em. Anything with a pulse is a meal—it doesn't matter whether it can talk or not."

All he found were a couple of silk-wrapped cats that were beyond saving, so he moved on down the street. Everywhere he turned there were streamers of web clinging to light poles, fences, and the walls of buildings. He was careful to avoid touching them whenever possible; there was no telling which strands were sticky and which were not.

"I feel sorry for whoever has to clean all this up…"

Coming to an intersection, he found a cluster of chuunin regrouping. All of them had some white wisps of webbing clinging to their clothes and at least one of them had been struck by a venomous spider fang. One of them that had some medic training was trying to find some anti-venom pills while the rest were taking stock of what weapons they still had among them. They all looked tired and on the dispirited side and Jiraiya decided that it was his duty to re-inspire them.

But he hadn't taken two steps in their direction when someone else bustled onto the scene. It was a woman—which instantly grabbed his attention—wearing a green jacket and with her blonde hair pulled back in two loose ponytails. When he recognized, and decided that he wasn't hallucinating, his jaw found its way to the ground.

"Tsunade!"

She flinched and glanced over at him before returning to treating the spider-bitten chuunin, who was really starting to look sickly.

Slowly shaking off his shock, the white-haired man walked over to the group of Konoha chuunin. The spider demon victim had a nasty puncture in his upper arm that was hideously discolored and sluggishly oozing blood. For a moment Jiraiya worried that Tsunade would shut down but she recovered and waved over a dark-haired girl to handle the problem.

When Tsunade took a few steps back to get some air, Jiraiya followed her to hover at her shoulder.

"Not to sound ungrateful, Tsunade-hime…but what are you doing here?"

The answer that he received was a dark mutter that contained: "guilt trip", "old crone", and dozens of very un-lady-like words.

"…Okay!" _I'll have to ask her again after a few bottles of sake._ "Well, I'm glad that you're here," he said, and looped an arm over her shoulders.

"I'm not," Tsunade grumbled. "Remove that limb before I move it for you!"

Jiraiya hastily released her and took a step to the side. "Shall we continue mopping up?"

"Might as well," she sighed. "At least your toads will be pleasant company."

"Yea—_hey_!"

* * *

Shikamaru was really starting to sweat as he watched Shino struggle to drain the transformed Sasuke of chakra with his beetles. The Aburame wasn't having much luck. Sasuke didn't seem able to predict the movements of Shino's insect swarm, but his gray skin was hard like stone and the energy-draining bugs probably weren't able to get through it to significantly weaken him.

The Nara boy wasn't much better off than his insect-wielding comrade. He wasn't much of a taijutsu-user and his ninjutsu was mainly based on shadow-manipulation. When he fought on the ground, it wasn't too terribly difficult to ensnare his foe and force some kind of stalemate. But up in the trees, with a fast-moving and extremely aggressive opponent, it was much, much harder to make a successful connection with his _kagemane_. Every time to launched his shadow after Sasuke's, the winged boy would move to another tree, exponentially increasing the distance the dark tendril had to traverse and the complexity of its path, and in no time his shadow would be at its limit and he would have to abort…and dive out of the way as Sasuke swooped at him like a mad bat.

Naruto had been taken out of the fight in the first few seconds. When Sasuke had first appeared, he'd tackled the canine-eared boy, pinned him up against a tree trunk, and battered him several times in the head with his fists. By the time Shino had intervened by sending his beetles into the transformed boy's nose and ears which drove him to strike at himself instead, Naruto had been knocked senseless and the blond had fallen onto a lower branch, out cold. Shikamaru had tried to check on him, but there hadn't been a long enough lull in the action for him to do so.

_This just gets more and more troublesome!_

Shikamaru was a speedy planner, but even he needed some time to sit and consider strategies. Sasuke never gave him that time. The ex-Uchiha was either at Shikamaru's throat, or Shino's; he never sat back and made his own plans, he just attacked. So far he hadn't said a word, he just screamed, roared, and hissed. As far as the Nara could tell, he had lost the ability to understand human speech as well as use it.

_We can't ask him to stop, we can't seem to make him stop, and he appears to want to kill us… I should've stayed in bed today._

Grimacing, Shikamaru pitched backwards off the branch he'd been crouching on just as Sasuke zipped through the space that the Nara boy had just been. He landed several feet below, pivoted, and flung a single shuriken (with how badly this fight was going, he needed to conserve his weapons) at Sasuke's foot, hoping to cripple him. Using his wings, the former Uchiha managed a turn in mid-air that should've been impossible so that the throwing star sailed harmlessly past him and imbedded itself in a branch several trees away. And then the gray-skinned boy drew another bead on Shikamaru and dove on him like an owl striking at a mouse—

A small cloud of black insects swarmed into Sasuke's eyes, temporarily blinding him and giving Shikamaru a narrow escape. Howling in rage, Sasuke swatted wildly at the swarm, crushing dozens of beetles into paste. The one thing the cursed boy seemed to have figured out was that Shino was the one that controlled the pesky bugs so he blundered off after the Aburame to put the swarming to a stop.

_When is this guy going to get tired?_ Shikamaru wondered wearily as he looked for an opportunity to take control of Sasuke's shadow, or a place to lay a trap if he had time.

As he watched, Shino was forced out of cover by a wild swing of Sasuke's ugly hand-like wing that—had he not moved—would've taken his head off. The Aburame tried to get a level above Sasuke but the transformed genin's Sharingan predicted the move and he caught Shino by the ankle and flung him down towards the ground. Shino tried to recover, but gravity and inertia couldn't be defied and he slammed sideways onto a low bough hard enough to knock his shades completely off.

_Huh,_ a tiny corner of Shikamaru's mind noted distantly, _with how obsessive Aburame are about their glasses, I would've thought his eyes wouldn't be so normal._

While Shino was busy with trying not to fall to the distant ground below, his concentration on his insects collapsed and Sasuke was no longer suffering their harassment. Snarling in victory, the transformed boy moved to drop to Shino's branch—

Shikamaru flung his third to last kunai and the diamond-shaped blade lodged itself into one of the knuckles of the right wing. The throwing knife only penetrated about two inches at most, but this attack finally seemed to cause Sasuke some serious pain. The former Uchiha shrieked and grasped at his wounded appendage, thoroughly distracted…for the moment.

The Nara genin started descending towards the ground where he would have an easier time pinning Sasuke down with his shadow, but hesitated when he noticed that Shino hadn't moved much. The now shade-less boy was clinging to the branch he'd collided with looking exceptionally pale and struggling for breath. After a half-second's consideration, Shikamaru approached the stranded Aburame from a direction that hopefully would escape the mad creature's notice.

"Shino!" Shikamaru hissed when he was a branch away, beckoning to the other boy to hurry. "C'mon!"

"I believe my ribs are cracked," Shino informed him between clenched teeth. "My swarm is agitated."

Shikamaru leapt over to Shino's branch and helped the boy in the trench coat to his feet. There were three tree limbs between them and solid ground, and they made it down two of them before their time ran out. Sasuke finally managed to dislodge the kunai in his wing, noticed that his prey had moved, and returned to the offensive.

_"Rraaah!"_

"Down!" Shikamaru hissed, pulling Shino to the next bough before the Aburame was ready.

"Nngh!" Shino wheezed, slipped, and pulled them both from the last tree limb straight to the earth.

Sasuke scrambled down the tree trunk at them while they land winded—

_Whhzzz-CRACK!_

There was a flash of blue light, the sound of a firecracker, and then Sasuke crashed into the last branch before the ground with his shaggy mane of gray hair smoldering.

Shikamaru blinked, dazed. _What…?_

"Alright Sasuke!" Naruto's voice shouted from above, slightly slurred by a swollen lip. "No holding back! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Sasuke snarled and regained his feet to glare at the screen of leaves that hid his new target from his sight. He gathered himself for an upwards attack…and a sandal bounced off his head. The cursed boy flinched, hesitated, and when he was ready to try again a second sandal ricocheted off his left wing.

The Nara boy slowly rolled to his knees and squinted at the leafy canopy. _That's him not holding back?_

And then _something_ hurtled into view. To avoid a collision Sasuke leapt aside and glided almost gracefully to the ground. The thing _chased_ Sasuke, forcing the shocked ex-Uchiha to back up away from the other genin until there was a healthy gap between them. Then Sasuke flared his hideous hand-wings and stopped retreating, triggering a stand-off between him and…

"…Naruto?" Shikamaru wondered.

It was certainly wearing the same new outfit as Naruto had been (minus the sandals), although the hitai-ate had been moved from the forehead to hang around the neck. And the thing's form certainly resembled a werewolf, being furry, canine, and bipedal. But as Hinata (according to Ino) had reported, he looked very much like a yellow fox.

At his question, the new creature raised a black hand-paw in his direction, made a fist, and raised its thumb.

Apparently taking that gesture as some kind of threat, Sasuke curled his hand-wings over his head and roared. Responding in kind, Naruto howled almost exactly like a wolf and bared his mouthful of sharp, white teeth. Displays exchanged, Sasuke charged and Naruto started throwing small blue fireballs that made noises like fireworks as they whizzed through the air.

Shikamaru dragged a wheezing Shino to his feet and steered him towards cover behind a large tree.

_Troublesome…_

* * *

Naruto quickly found that Sasuke was a very hard target. His _kitsune-bi_ easily destroyed bits of the boy's clothes, but barely left a burn on Sasuke's skin. Physical blows didn't do much better; it was like striking a stone. And although he wasn't using any jutsu, his Sharingan was active allowing him to react before an attack was even launched. With his ugly hand-wings increasing his jumps and boosting his speed, he was a lot nastier than the lion-dogs Naruto had fought barely an hour before.

And he wasn't out to kill Sasuke like he had been with the two demons.

Taking advantage of Sasuke's complete lack of jutsu, Naruto used all the techniques that he had at his disposal. He generated handfuls of _kage bunshin_ to attack his foe from several different directions simultaneously. He hurled kunai, shuriken, and even small rocks to try and slow him or make him stumble. And he used his _kitsune-bi_ to knock him aside or briefly blind him with bright flashes.

But Sasuke seemed to shrug off the damage like a duck shakes off water. The ex-Uchiha was breathing hard and stumbling more than he had been, but he still made reckless, aggressive charges like he had nothing to fear. There didn't seem to be any intelligence in his red, whirling eyes. All Naruto could see was madness and bloodlust.

_Maybe…I'm wasting my time,_ Naruto thought as he hurled a pawful of dirt into Sasuke's face, making the transformed boy scream and stagger back as it got into his eyes. _Maybe Sasuke isn't in there anymore. Maybe I should just try and kill him…_

The thought made him shiver and brought to mind what he knew of the werewolf curse. Sasuke hadn't asked for this to happen to him. What if he was trapped in there, unable to control himself, or so overwhelmed with fear that he couldn't stop himself? If Naruto had found himself in a similar situation, he would hope that someone would restrain him and help him, not kill him.

_I wish Mom was here._ The fox boy drew a kunai from his weapon pouch and lashed his bushy tail as he watched Sasuke rubbing frantically at his face, his wings half-shrouding his body. _She'd know what to do. She'd have a way of stopping him._

His mother wasn't here, though. No adults were. There was just him and Shino and Shikamaru, and Shino seemed to be hurt. So it was up to him and Shikamaru to figure out what to do.

Grasping the kunai ring-end down, he darted and leapt to try and bash Sasuke over the head to knock him out, but the winged boy staggered back a step. Naruto landed awkwardly—too far to strike but too close to be safe—and Sasuke blindly pushed him off his feet with a heavy hand-wing. With blazing, watery red eyes, Sasuke glared down at him and raised a foot to stomp on Naruto…

…Yet, he never followed through with the movement.

_Huh?_ Naruto blinked.

"Move already," Shikamaru grunted. "I can't hold him still forever."

Naruto scrambled to all-fours and scampered a few yards away. Lurching upright he saw that Sasuke's shadow was warped and stretched in a way that defied the sun's rays. The dark tendril snaked off to one side and looped around to the sheltered side of a leaning tree trunk, where Shikamaru crouched with his hands locked into the rat seal.

_"(Cool!)"_ Naruto yipped. _"(Thanks Shikamaru!)"_ Then, remembering that the Nara couldn't understand him, he flashed the boy another thumb-up gesture.

"I can't hold him for more than a minute or two," Shikamaru said. "Hurry up and tie him up. Hopefully he's worn out enough to be restrained by wire."

Having no wire of his own, Naruto trotted over to Shikamaru to take his before he tried to bind up the frozen ex-Uchiha. Shikamaru shifted his position and his shadow technique forced the curse-marked boy to move along with him. With his wrists held together out in front and his ankles pressed together it was a lot easier for Naruto to bind his limbs. Once Sasuke's regular limbs were tied up, Naruto moved on to the hand-wings that jutted out of his back. There wasn't much wire left and he could only make two loops around them before he had to tie it off.

"Okay," Shikamaru sighed, his voice sounding a bit strained. "I'm letting him go now."

The link between their two shadows snapped—

Sasuke flailed like a mad creature, straining against the wire that bound him. Ninja wire was flexible, but extremely tough. Even the smooth stuff could cut into flesh, and the razor wire could slice through most bones if there was enough tension put on it. But Sasuke's gray skin was tough and he managed to snap the bonds on his wings in seconds.

"Troublesome," the Nara genin grumbled, sank to one knee, and slipped into some weird kind of thinking pose.

Naruto glanced frantically between the thinking Shikamaru and the struggling Sasuke, who was trying to gnaw the loops of wire off his wrists.

_Hurry Shikamaru, hurry—huh?_

Sasuke's wild struggles suddenly slowed. The gray-skinned boy swayed and collapsed forward onto the leaf-covered ground. And then, after a few seizure-like spasms, he fell still.

Nervously shuffling forward, Naruto picked up a small stick and poked at one of Sasuke's ugly wings.

_"(Hey, you alive?)"_

"He must've hit the end of his endurance," Shikamaru theorized. "It's about time."

The gray tint to Sasuke's skin and hair started to fade and his freakish wings seemed to be…

_"(Ah, he's melting!)"_

* * *

Kaito bared his teeth in grim satisfaction as he set fire to Orochimaru's corpse.

It had been irritatingly difficult to slay the murderous hanyou, even with his full offensive power unleashed for the first time in a real battle. The snake-man had swapped places with hastily-formed mud clones to escape devastating attacks several times. And when he suffered a certain level of injury, he'd shed his skin like a snake and come up healed and ready to fight some more. He'd even summoned some larger snakes, making it tricky and dangerous to maneuver inside the barrier square until Kaito had managed to kill them.

But as powerful as Orochimaru was, he only had so much chakra, and trapped in a battle he couldn't easily run from against two powerful opponents it was just a matter of time. When Orochimaru found his back up against the wall, he triggered a nightmarish transformation. He shed his human form for that of a large white snake covered in hundreds of tiny snake heads instead of scales. It was the single ugliest thing that Kaito had ever seen, but it wasn't too hard to kill.

Hiruzen had stunned it with several punishing blows from Enma's staff form. Kaito had fired an extra-concentrated _kitsune-bi_ orb down the white creature's maw. And then he briefly fused all his tails into a single long, sharp appendage and beheaded the snake.

And now Kaito was roasting the body while Hiruzen kneeled by the decapitated head and mourned his beloved student as privately as the situation allowed.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," Kaito muttered and sneezed at the reek of burning monster-flesh.

Seconds after the serpent's death, the Oto-nin maintaining the barriers had collapsed in sudden agony. Without their focus, the barriers came down without the Kitsune attacking them having to do anything. Now several ANBU squads had come into the previously-sealed off battlefield and encircled their elderly leader.

Satisfied that the body would soon be ash, Kaito trotted to the edge of the roof and stared down into the arena pit at the heart of the stadium. All the Oto-nin had been killed or captured, and the Kurohi-allied foxes had either been slaughtered or chased off. Konoha-nin milled around, resting or getting their wounds treated. The fight here was over in this part of the village.

Kaito jerked his head at a fox that had slipped up onto the roof seconds after the barriers had collapsed and the violet-furred vixen slunk over to his side.

"Status report," he demanded.

"Konoha is slowly being cleared of hostiles," she answered promptly. "I don't have any hard information or any solid numbers, but the attack on the school was foiled and all the werewolves seem to be dead. There have been a few clashes with Uchiha, but I believe we were able to get away from them without killing them. We don't know how many Kitsune the Kurohi brought but…" Her black ears laid back in concern. "But it doesn't sound like enough of them appeared in Konoha. We don't know where the rest of them are."

"Great," Kaito grumbled and watched as loyal foxes lounged around on empty stadium chairs as they waited to be redirected. "Just great…"


	57. Ill Wind

**Chapter 56**

_Ill Wind_

Kabuto slipped away after he'd escorted the last group of groggy civilians out of the stadium. The master that he'd long served in secret was no more and now seemed to be the ideal time to move on. With all the chaos and destruction going on, when he was finally found to be missing it would just be assumed that he had fallen victim to the invaders and likely devoured by spider demons. And once the doctor that he'd murdered and impersonated was finally uncovered there was no way he'd be on the suspect list (not that there'd been much chance of that in the first place).

_I know of at least two of his hidden laboratories,_ Kabuto mused as he adjusted his glasses after slipping through the breach in the village wall. _There should be plenty there to keep me busy for a long time. All that research…_

He shivered with delight and angled towards the Forest of Death, the least-guarded path that would lead him towards his new home.

_I wonder if I should keep my Konoha hitai-ate or—_

Orochimaru's mole never saw the Kitsune that decapitated him from behind.

"Stupid Konoha-nin," the charcoal gray Kurokawa vixen sneered, flicking the blood from the tip of her tail before she relaxed it blade shape. "What a lousy scout. All alone and totally oblivious to possible ambush. If he hadn't been heading towards Yuuta-sama I wouldn't even have wasted my time."

With a snort of contempt, she faded back into the shadows and kept vigilant for any other stupid humans that might interfere with the ritual.

* * *

Naruto hesitantly peeked between his black furry fingers and saw that Sasuke seemed to have stopped melting. Patches of his skin was still gray and unhealthy-looking and one of his hand-wings hadn't completely vanished, but otherwise he looked like himself again. The fox boy slowly lowered his paw-hands and contemplated whether or not to poke his unconscious teammate to see if he'd wake up.

"Perhaps he ran out of chakra," Shino suggested between wheezes as he shuffled closer with Shikamaru's help. "If his transformation required a steady stream of chakra to be maintained…"

"He should've collapsed sooner if that was the case," Shikamaru grunted. "There's no way he has enough chakra to have lasted as long as he did. Something else must've stopped him."

Shino braced his shoulder against a tree trunk and looked exceptionally pale as he put his shades back on. Shikamaru sighed, shoved his hands into his pockets, and tilted his head back to stare up at the leafy canopy that blocked his view of the sky. Naruto picked up the stick he'd dropped in his panic and used it as he'd intended to—to poke Sasuke. And Sasuke remained out cold, face-down in the dirt.

"Quit poking him," Shikamaru sighed when he saw what Naruto was doing. "It's probably best that he stays asleep. There's no telling what his state of mind will be when he wakes up."

Naruto pouted a bit and tossed the stick aside. He shook himself a bit in a rather canine manner and glanced around at the surrounding forest. Wrinkling his wet black nose he inhaled—

_I smell…fox?_

_ I don't know this fox._

The fur on his back bristled and he whirled around, sniffing in search of the fox smell. It could be nothing to worry about. Or it could be…

_"Hey, there're some kids over here!"_ a distant male voice exclaimed.

All of Naruto's fur fluffed in alarm.

_"Over where?"_ an even more distant male voice called back.

A clump of bushes several yards away rustled and a large orange fox head popped into view.

"Over here, stupid!" it yelled over its shoulder.

Shino lurched upright with a pained gasp. Shikamaru stared, his usual bored expression replaced with one of naked shock. And Naruto whirled to face the fox head on all fours with his back arched like a frightened cat.

_"How many, and what affiliation?"_ The second speaker sounded closer now._ "And don't call me stupid!"_

"Three—no, four!" the orange Kitsune replied as it slunk into clear view. He was in fox form, but still fully clothed with his sandals tucked into his belt. Four black-tipped tails swayed behind him. "At least three of them belong to Konoha. And you'll never guess who one of them is!"

Naruto scampered backwards trampling his own tail until his back hit a tree trunk. He'd been recognized and now he was in deep trouble. Kitsune had either ignored him, sneered at him, or…been out for his blood.

_They're gonna kill me and skin me and eat me!_ His claws convulsively dug into the tree at his back as he tried to melt into the massive plant to escape. _Mommy, help!_

"What are you talking about—" A second Kitsune head popped out of the bushes. "…Oh."

The second Kitsune was completely identical to the first one. Its clothes were the same, its fur and eye color were the same, it had the same number of tails, its voice sounded the same, and it even smelled the same. The two demon foxes might well have been clones.

"Would you calm down?" the second fox suggested.

"He looks like he shoved his finger in a light socket!" the first snickered.

The second lightly whacked the first in the head with one of his tails.

Naruto barely heard either of them. Panic choked his thoughts and a surge of adrenalin urged him to bolt. But with his back pressed into the tree he felt cornered and trapped so he just kept futilely trying to merge with the tree trunk.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "And here I thought that things were going our way."

"This is a most unfortunate turn of events," Shino quietly agreed, his voice taut with pain.

"Eh?" the first fox glanced towards the two genin. "You kids say something?"

"What is this?" the second asked, tentatively sniffing at the unconscious Sasuke. "One of Orochimaru's pet freaks?"

"Is it?" the first demanded of the Nara and the Aburame. "If it is, we'll kill it for you."

Shino's swarm had reformed and was now buzzing ominously around him and Shikamaru's eyes darted back and forth between the two foxes as if determining which one was the better target to go for first.

"Come on, we know you can talk," the second snorted.

"So tell us," the first said.

Neither boy said a word.

"Ah, perhaps they've been trained not to speak to strangers!" the first concluded with a grin. "So, allow us to introduce ourselves! I am Ni-Tora, and this is my brother, Ichi-Tora, and we are part of Clan Uzumaki. Now, who might you be?"

"_Baka_," the second fox, Ichi-Tora, sighed and rolled his jade-colored eyes. "Naruto," he turned to the panic-stricken fox-boy, "please calm down and explain the situation to us."

Naruto was panting raggedly as his heart raced in his chest. The fog of fear was starting to roll back, though. The Kitsune seemed to be talking to him, not trying to kill him. Perhaps they were friendly?

_Uzumaki…_ His claws slowly kneaded the tree bark at his back._ They're…relatives?_

"I forgot, you can't talk like that," Ichi sighed. "How about we play twenty questions?" He waved a black forepaw at Sasuke. "Is that an enemy?"

It took a moment for him to process the question, but then Naruto emphatically shook his head.

"Then is he some kind of victim?"

Naruto nodded energetically.

"Does he belong to Konoha?"

Again Naruto nodded and he slowly relaxed his grip on the tree behind him.

"Okay," Ichi exhaled and looked Sasuke over thoughtfully. "Okay…"

"Hey Naruto, get your friends to calm down, would you?" Ni requested. "I think they're thinking of doing something dumb."

He peeked over to the right and cringed. Shino and Shikamaru looked braced for battle, but even if they weren't hurt and tired they didn't stand a chance against the Kitsune. They probably couldn't even hope to fight one of them, let alone the two of them. Naruto peeled his back from the tree, shuffled a bit closer to his genin comrades, and made a clumsy calming gesture.

"Naruto," Shikamaru said tensely, "I thought you were supposed to be a werewolf."

The fox-boy's shoulders slumped in dismay at the Nara's suspicious look.

"Oh, he is!" Ni nodded.

"And he isn't," Ichi added.

"Our poor nephew is what you get when a Kitsune hooks up with a werewolf," Ni continued.

"Nephew?" Shino repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

"He's disowned," Ichi shrugged, "but—"

"It was better than killing him," Ni shivered. "Killing kids is not cool."

"Not to mention _imouto_ would've gone nuclear if the clan had really given in to the pressure," Ichi added.

"Aren't you an endangered species?" Shikamaru frowned. "Why would you want to kill him?"

"'Never eat anything that can talk, and never have sex with anything that can't'," Ni said gravely.

"Werewolves can't talk and they aren't much smarter than dogs," Ichi elaborated. "Kushina-nee-chan's relationship with Naruto's father is viewed by our kind the same way that human society would look upon someone caught molesting a farm animal. And that stigma spilled on to him in addition to a bunch of other concerns."

_"(We can talk,)"_ Naruto sulked, patting down his fear-fluffed fur. _"(You just don't understand what we say.)"_

"Enough talk about that," Ichi muttered. "Come along little genin. It's time to get you back to your village before something nasty finds you."

"Do we have to take this with us?" Ni asked, sniffing at Sasuke. "It almost smells like a gargoyle."

"Yes," Ichi informed his twin. "The Hokage will decide what to do with it."

"Why should we follow you?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Our history warns us not to trust you," Shino wheezed.

The twin Kitsune sighed deeply in perfect unison.

Naruto hesitated before he started to reverse his transformation and return to his human form. He vaguely recalled these uncles and how they'd never really been cruel to him, just oblivious to him. They hadn't tried to hurt him or his friends and they'd taken his word that Sasuke wasn't some sort of deformed monster. So he would _tentatively_ put some trust in them and let the adults take charge.

"Must we really argue history with you?" Ichi asked tiredly.

"Can we really even argue?" Ni sighed. "We've been so vilified and stereo-typed because of that damned Kyuubi bastard. It's probably hopeless."

"You're starting to sound as bitter as Arashi-nii-chan," Ichi chided.

Ni-Tora stuck out his tongue at his twin.

Naruto finished his change, adjusted his pants, pushed his hitai-ate back up to his forehead, and then glanced down at his bare feet.

"Hey, where'd I throw my sandals?"

All attention snapped to him.

"Why didn't you change back before?" Shikamaru asked.

"I didn't think too," Naruto shrugged as he scanned his surroundings for his footwear. _And I was too freaked out._

"Do they speak the truth?" Shino inquired.

Naruto thought it over for a moment before nodding. He located his left sandal at the foot of a tree a couple of yards away. And the right sandal turned up in a clump of weeds. After he got his feet back into them, some questions exploded into his brain.

"Hey!" He raced back to the group and pointed one finger at each fox. "What are you doing here looking like _that_? That—that totally breaks all of Grandfather's rules!"

"Extraordinary circumstances," Ni answered and scratched behind one black ear with his back leg.

"Our village has been split between those who want to keep the peace and those who hunger for vengeance," Ichi continued. "It's a good thing that we found you and not some fox following the Kurohi's leadership. They would've killed you instead of talked to you."

"They're all fools," Ni snorted, giving himself a shake. "They want vengeance for all the old wrongs, but all the guilty humans are dead and dust. That's no vengeance; it's just feeding the cycle."

"There are bad foxes here?" Naruto gulped and a chill raced up his spine.

"Yes, but don't worry, we won't let them get you," Ichi-Tora assured him.

"Kushina-nee-chan would gut us like fish if we let any of them touch you," Ni-Tora shuddered.

"What about my friends?" Naruto asked, nervously scuffing his feet. _If they still want to be my friends…_

"We'll look after them, too," Ichi promised. "But only if they come with us. If they choose to stay behind we can't guarantee their safety."

"Let's get a move-on!" Ni declared, pawing at the ground in impatience. "We've got places to go and bad guys to smash!"

"…You should take human forms," Shikamaru suggested as he slowly relaxed into a more neutral stance. "Otherwise you could be mistaken for the enemy, which would be troublesome."

"Good idea," Ichi nodded thoughtfully.

"I like you," Ni grinned. "You're pretty smart!"

"Thanks," the Nara boy frowned. "…I think."

"Hurry up, Ni," Ichi chided, already part-way through his transformation, and therefore briefly discernable from his identical twin. "Get changed so we can get going."

"I'm going, I'm going," the second twin muttered.

Shikamaru and Shino watched the two Kitsune change with fascination. Naruto just fidgeted with his fingerless gloves until his uncles had finished and put their shoes back on. Now ready to move on, Ni-Tora slung the unconscious and still sort of transformed Sasuke over his shoulder while Ichi-Tora offered assistance to the limping Shino.

"I hope going with them is a good idea," Shikamaru muttered into Naruto's ear.

_Yeah,_ Naruto silently agreed, _I hope so, too—_

An unseasonably cold blast of air rushed through the trees, making the canopy twist and groan high overhead. It made an eerie sound as it roared past, forcing chills up all their spines. It even managed to stir the sleeping Sasuke just slightly. And then, just as suddenly, the air was still again, like nothing had happened.

It made Naruto yelped like a frightened puppy and he latched onto a rather irritated Shikamaru's arm.

"Well _that_ didn't feel good," Ichi-Tora muttered, rubbing at his human arms.

"Not at all," Ni-Tora agreed. "Let's hurry, kiddies. That's a bad omen if I ever saw one."

_Mommy,_ Naruto shivered as he slowly removed himself from Shikamaru's arm, _where are you?_

* * *

Kushina padded through the eerie deserted hallways of the stadium, careful not to jostle her passenger. So far Mikoto had refused to stop and seek medical attention for her busted ankle. The Uchiha woman's mind was fixed on one thing and one thing only: find Sasuke. Everything else could wait.

"Hey," Kushina piped up. "How about while we're looking for help in finding Sasuke, we find a medic to wrap up your foot?"

Mikoto ignored her.

"It seems like a really good idea to me," Kushina continued hopefully. "I'm sure that a little bit of treatment would ease the pain in the long run."

Mikoto tightened her grip on the scruff of Kushina's neck, but said nothing.

"Really, let's visit a medic while we're here," the vixen pleaded. "It'll make it easier for me to carry you around."

"Let's just get into the arena," Mikoto ground out, her voice harsh with a mixture of pain and anxiety.

"Okay, okay…"

After a few more turns and flights of stairs, they emerged into a significantly emptier stadium. It sounded like there was still a little bit of fighting going on so Kushina moved cautiously towards the arena pit. But when they got closer they saw that a knot of Kitsune were down in the arena, wrapped in a shield, and a dozen Military Police were attacking the barrier while the rest of the Konoha-nin there just stood by and watched.

"…Great," Kushina sighed.

"Are…are they friend or foe?" Mikoto hesitantly asked.

"I can't tell, I need to get closer," Kushina replied. She scanned the empty stands until something caught her eye. "Hey, an aid station! Let's go there to get a better look while the medics fix your foot!"

Before Mikoto could argue, Kushina was slinking along, keeping her tails low to avoid drawing unfriendly attention from below. The handful of medics and their patients were settled on a broad landing between flights of shallow steps in the shadow of the highest part of the stadium complex. They flinched at the sight of a Kitsune so close to them, but when Kushina gently used three of her tails to transfer Mikoto from her back to one of the stadium chairs they hurried forward to tend to the Uchiha's injuries.

While her friend was being worked on, Kushina put her focus on the fight down in the arena pit. It was an entirely one-sided fight, she soon saw. The Uchiha circled the hexagon-shaped barrier and occasionally launched assaults against it with little result. The Kitsune just sat there behind the safety of their shield and watched, sometimes shouting insults but otherwise doing absolutely nothing.

_If they were the enemy, they would be fighting back, not huddling on the defensive,_ Kushina mused, twitching her five tails in thought. _So I'm pretty sure they're on Konoha's side. And the only reason that this is going on is because some Uchiha showed up and picked a fight._

The red fox hooked a paw over her muzzle, closed her eyes, and sighed.

"So it seems that the instructors were incorrect," a boy said. "Kitsune are not extinct after all."

Cracking open one eye, Kushina saw Hyuuga Neji hovering a few feet away. The genin looked as stone-faced as the last time she'd looked at him. But now he had some gauze wrapped around his neck, which had to be the result of the chaos following the interrupted test. He had made it through his demon match completely unscathed.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Neji gave her an icy stare.

"You might as well tell me, because I'm just going to keep asking," Kushina snorted. Then a better question occurred to her. "Do you know where Naruto is?"

Neji remained silent.

"Answer me or I'll tickle you until you laugh," she threatened, brandishing her fluffy tails. "I have the perfect tools for the job!"

The young Hyuuga eyed her as if she was insane.

"I asked two simple questions…answer or face the consequences," Kushina growled, some of her anxiety bleeding through her cheery façade.

"…I was ambushed by the Oto-genin, Dosu," Neji said reluctantly, his white eyes following the movements of her tails warily. "My injury left me unable to follow Naruto and the others as they sought to catch Sasuke."

_So…Naruto could be anywhere in the village, and an easy target for any angry Uchiha._ Her head drooped. _Wonderful!_

"What are your intentions?" Neji demanded with a scowl.

"For today? I want to put a stop to this stupid fighting, find my son, go home, pig out on ice cream, and cuddle with my boyfriend." She stretched out like a dog until her spine popped and then raised an eyebrow at the long-haired human boy. "What about you, Sourpuss?"

Neji narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm—"

"Uzumaki Kushina." With a surprised blink, she turned to see Furukawa Kaito and a few other foxes descending from some higher level of the stadium. His form was almost completely human with the only foxy feature being a single tail. The rest were fully fox, although they wore clothes that would allow them to turn human without being left naked. He glanced her over with a frown. "What happened to your clothes?"

"Unfortunately they got destroyed," she sighed. "But the good news is that Biyokuchi Kasshoku and Kurohi Yuudai are both dead!"

"Oh good," Kaito replied, fingering his shredded ear. "You killed both of them?"

"No, but put me down for an assist," she said with a grin. _They got what was coming to them!_

"Hmm, well how many other enemy Kitsune did you see?" he asked.

"Only a few, and only at a distance," she answered after a moment's thought.

Kaito didn't look very happy to hear that.

"Kitsune are fighting each other?" Neji wondered aloud with a frown.

"Sure," Kushina snorted over her shoulder at him. "Do you think humans have some kind of monopoly on killing your own kind?"

Neji opened his mouth to answer, then shut it and looked away with a thoughtful expression.

"Kushina…" The vixen looked past Neji to see Mikoto hobbling over, her pale face grim and determined. All the field dressings she'd done for her minor wounds had been replaced by more professional efforts and her busted ankle was bandaged and splinted. The medics didn't look happy to see her moving, but they hadn't been able to persuade her not to leave or sedate her. "Let's get going. None of them know where Sasuke is."

"Okay," Kushina nodded slowly and positioned herself so that Mikoto could get on her back with minimum effort. "Hop back on."

"You're letting her ride you like a pony?" a violet-colored vixen by Kaito's side asked incredulously.

"She's my friend," Kushina replied.

"But she wears the Uchiha crest!" a green-pelted fox sputtered. "Uchiha never befriend demons. They don't even like Summons!"

"She's my friend," the Uzumaki repeated as Mikoto got settled so the fox could stand up. "You can find some good Uchiha if you look hard enough."

"Good Uchiha?" a third fox snorted, flicking three fluffy tails. "Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"Enough!" Kaito snapped at them. "I'm sure that she's right about this woman. If we go around stereo-typing the Uchiha like they do us, we aren't much better than them."

Kaito's little vulpine entourage looked properly chastised and the jabs against the Uchiha clan's unfavorable reputation ceased.

"Okay," Kushina breathed deeply, "we're going—"

"Stay, if you would please," the Hokage's voice interrupted.

The old master hunter was slowly walking down the stairs towards the clump of medics and wounded ninja, flanked by at least two four-man cells of ANBU and his chief summon, the monkey chief Enma. It looked strange to see him wearing a black ninja suit and light armor instead of the traditional hat and red and white robes. He looked very old and very tired but his steps were steady and he leaned on no one's support.

"Hokage-sama," Kushina murmured and awkwardly dipped her head in a bow, careful to not unseat Mikoto.

"Hokage-sama," Mikoto nodded her head and bit her lip. "I need to find my son."

"I bet the ANBU could find him," Kushina piped up as sudden inspiration struck her. "They've got radios and they're all over the place."

The old man glanced at one of his masked servants and the elite ninja stepped aside to whisper into his radio, then signaled the answer to the Hokage.

"He hasn't been seen," the Hokage told them, "but they will be on the look-out for him and will report his location as soon as he is found. Now, Mikoto-san, if you would do me a favor instead of running off?"

The dark-haired woman squirmed uncomfortably on Kushina's back before giving in.

"How may I be of service?"

"Could you try and persuade your clansmen to stop wasting their time and energy?" he requested and gestured down at the Military Police who were still desperately trying to get past the Kitsune's barriers so that they could slay the multi-tailed demons.

Mikoto gave a slow nod—

A cold blast of wind whistled into the stadium and swirled around the stands before blowing up and out. It seemed to carry a moaning growl and a heavy sense of menace. The mysterious gust rattled everyone, even the masked ANBU seemed to tense.

Kushina's fur bristled and she flinched so badly that Mikoto almost slipped off.

"What the hell was that?" she asked. _It felt like the wind before a big storm, but…the sky's clear._

* * *

In one of Konoha's parks, the second-biggest one, an old woman sat in the lotus position with her eyes closed beside a small pond. She wore shabby, patched clothing and most of her white hair was pulled up into two buns. There hadn't been much fighting in this area of the village, and it was eerily quiet now. It suited the old woman's purposes perfectly.

All around her she could feel Konoha as it fought off the forces that sought to invade and despoil it. A handful of times since the fighting had started she had considered moving to intervene, but each tangle had resolved itself on its own. So she sat and observed and waited.

She loved this village and she would protect it…but only if she was really needed. Her time here was long done and although she had promised to keep it safe as long as she lived it wouldn't do to make the Leaf dependent on her. She would live a long time, but she wouldn't live forever.

_Perhaps I shall seek out my descendent tomorrow evening,_ she mused. _She's come all this way to talk to me, so I shouldn't disappoint her—_

A chill wind howled through the park trees, causing their branches to sway and groan and shed dozens of leaves. Dark vibes rippled through the wind, pressing against the old woman's skin and stirring her loose hair. As it swept past her, her head snapped towards its source and her eyes squeezed closed tighter in concentration. She stretched her senses farther and farther and far—

_I was a fool to think this would end so easily._

With a sad sigh the old woman stood and opened her eyes to stare in the direction of the Forest of Death.

_And they are bigger fools for waking that thing up._


	58. Hellish Fires, Heavenly Chains

**Chapter 57**

_Hellish Fires, Heavenly Chains_

The Forest of Death now sported a bald spot in its dense canopy. A vast low mound of earth and shattered stumps lay bare to the clear sky. Dozens and dozens of poles coated in seal papers encircled the base of the mound. Nine sacrifices were staked equidistantly around the naked hill, still alive…but not for much longer.

Really only one sacrifice was necessary, but with nine the process would go much faster and the results would be much better. Nine lives—one for each tail—would revive the beast at full size and full strength in under a half-an-hour. A single life would bring it back small, weaker, and take longer. It might not even work at all. The Kyuubi no Yoko was a weighty spirit and ancient; a single life—not even a Kitsune's life—might not be enough to restore it.

The nine sacrifices had all been carefully culled from Uzushiogakure no Sato. All of them, for some reason or another, would not be missed. Most were like the old man that Yuudai had gifted to Orochimaru to ease the hanyou into alliance with them; older creatures that had never been of much use to the clan or village. And three of them were unwanted spouses—two Uzumaki and a Hoshitama who had had the great misfortune to marry into the unhappy Biyokuchi and had not escaped with their birth clans.

Useless or unwanted in life, they would serve an important purpose in death.

Kurohi Yuuta stood near the partly-buried skull of the Kyuubi no Yoko and dispassionately watched as one of the sacrifices slowly withered away. Pale wisps of life force flowed from the web of seals around the wilting Kitsune into the giant demon's burial mound. The stump-covered hill trembled and shifted, and at the very start of the life-infusing ceremony a frigid blast of wind had exploded from it, radiating in all directions like ripples on a pond.

_Soon now…_

Several deep cracks split the earth of the mound like it was an eggshell and raw red energy slowly boiled out of them like lava. The air filled with the reek of charred bone, burnt flesh, and singed fur. The crest of the mound cracked open and part of the blackened spine arched into view. Several trees in the distance groaned and toppled as a single massive tail, already covered in bristly red-orange fur lifted into the sky.

**"RRRrrrrr…"**

Yuuta smiled even as his hackles rose at the heavy sense of malice filling the air.

_…Very soon now._

* * *

Mikoto knotted her fingers in Kushina's red neck fur as the Kitsune slowly slunk down the thick concrete wall that ringed the sunken arena pit. A pair of ANBU followed them several paces behind. And below, her clansmen and women circled the six-sided barrier thrown up by a clump of allied Kitsune, seeking for a weak point that they could exploit to get inside and attack the demons. Other Konoha chuunin and jounin watched, but neither helped nor hindered the Uchiha.

A few yards from the ground, Kushina detached from the wall and landed as lightly as she could on the grass below. The vixen paused momentarily before slinking around the main clump of Konoha-nin to give her and her passenger a clear view of the problem. The Kitsune stopped a safe distance away and it was up to Mikoto to do the talking.

"Kentaro!" Mikoto shouted once she determined that he was the highest ranking Uchiha present. "Stand down! There are other hotspots in the village for you and your people to deal with."

The attacking Uchiha paused and looked her way and their grimly determined expressions melted into horror.

"Mikoto-sama has been captured by the demons!" a woman officer gasped.

_What—_ Mikoto wanted to slap her forehead. _Of course. I'm riding a Kitsune so I must have been captured and put under their influence…_

Kentaro and another Uchiha possessed active Sharingan and they used them to perfectly aim kunai to strike the fox but leave her unharmed. Mikoto clenched her teeth and rapidly signed a _raiton_ jutsu into existence. The shield of electricity acted like an electro-magnet and wildly deflected the metal throwing knives away.

"Enough!" Mikoto snapped after she canceled her electrical technique. "I have not been captured."

"Mikoto-sama," Kentaro frowned in distress. "Can't you see that you ride a fox demon and not an Inuzuka hound?"

"I know precisely what I ride," Mikoto replied. She awkwardly slid off Kushina and hobbled a few paces away, closer to her clansmen. "Hokage-sama wishes to deal with this situation personally. There are still many enemies out in the village that need dealing with. Move along."

"Leave and let a tired old man get the glory of killing Kitsune?" a young officer—Kentaro's youngest brother Daitaro—demanded angrily. "No way! This quarry is ours!"

"My brother has a point," Kentaro agreed. "This is our hunt. No one else here has seen fit to join us. And we are Uchiha—we never give up on a hunt until we have our quarry in hand."

"There are plenty more where they came from out there," Mikoto insisted, fighting down a rising sense of frustration. "And the enemies out there aren't securely tucked away behind any barriers."

"Well I see one demon unprotected!" Daitaro grinned and charged with a tanto knife in his hand.

He zipped past Mikoto on a collision course with Kushina. But Daitaro was one of the Uchiha who hadn't managed to awaken his _kekkei genkai_, so he really didn't stand a chance. He was unable to predict the movements of Kushina's five tails, and the furry appendages easily tripped him up and tossed him back to his brother and comrades.

"Reckless," Kushina sniffed. "How old are you? Fourteen? Fifteen?"

"I'm sixteen!" Daitaro snarled as he stumbled back to his feet and scrambled to retrieve his dropped blade.

"Ah, small for your age," the vixen remarked. "You're overcompensating. I'm sure that you'll hit your last growth spurt any day now."

"Shut up!" Daitaro howled, red-faced with humiliation.

"Quiet!" Mikoto hissed over her shoulder. "You're not helping."

"Sorry," Kushina shrugged.

"…You're not Mikoto-sama," Kentaro said with a deep scowl. "You can't be. You must be a transformed fox that's impersonating her! I'd forgotten that Kitsune are true shape-shifters in addition to being illusionists—"

"Enough!" the Hokage interrupted as he strode into view, shadowed by ANBU-nin and Enma. "I had hoped that there would be less argument if my order to cease attacking the Kitsune and leave the stadium passed through Mikoto, but it seems that I was mistaken." His weathered face darkened. "Or, will you accuse me of being a transformed Kitsune as well?"

Kentaro worked his mouth as if to protest before giving a stiff, sharp nod.

"We shall move on and report your orders to our superiors," the Uchiha said, and with a gesture to his subordinates they formed up and headed for the nearest exit.

Once they were out of sight, Sarutobi sighed wearily and rubbed at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," Mikoto swallowed hard. _I'm tired and worried about Sasuke. I haven't exerted much direct control over the clan—I let Fugaku manage everything so I could focus on being a mother. I shouldn't have had Kushina bring me down here. I didn't think things through at all…_

"It's alright," the old man grimaced. "You tried."

"Hokage-sama!"

The old hunter turned and moved to meet Inuzuka Tsume and her wolf-like dog Kuromaru and hear what they had to report to him.

Mikoto sagged as a fresh wave of fatigue washed over her. She swayed and almost toppled before Kushina was back at her side and giving her some much needed support. After a few deep breaths she was about to ask to be carried back up to the stands so that she could sit down when there was a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mikoto-san," Hatake Kakashi greeted. "But would your fox friend happen to be Uzumaki Kushina?"

She blinked at the masked jounin before managing a nod. "Yes, but how did you…?"

"I didn't think that there would be any other Kitsune that you would trust enough to ride," he replied rather cheerfully.

"But…what would make you think that she's a Kitsune?" Mikoto wondered.

"Naruto's beast form is very atypical for a werewolf," he replied, crinkling his visible eye with a hidden smile. "So," he glanced down at the vixen, "tell me…did Minato-sensei know about this?"

"No, he didn't," Kushina answered, guiltily scuffing at the ground with a paw. "He knows now, though."

Kakashi went very still. "He knows…_now_?"

"Yep!" Kushina nodded with a foxy grin.

"Kakashi-san, could you call upon your Summons to find Sasuke?" Mikoto asked hopefully.

"I don't have enough chakra to call the whole pack," he replied after a moment's thought. He drew a kunai and brought the blade to one of his fingers. "However, I should be able to get Pakkun."

"If you would please," Mikoto gulped as her voice wavered.

An ANBU intruded, interrupting before Kakashi could slice his finger open for the blood he needed for the jutsu.

"There is news," the lion-masked ninja said. "Sasuke has been spotted on the fringes of the village. He is being brought back to the stadium. Ox and Wasp are shadowing."

Relief almost made Mikoto gray-out. "Thank you."

"Who else is with him?" Kushina asked.

"Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and two identical males classified as allied Kitsune," the ANBU promptly replied.

Mikoto tightened her grip on Kushina's fur as a fresh wave of tension came over her. _How do they know that they are allies? What if they're wrong? What—_

"Identical… They have orange hair?" Kushina inquired. When the ANBU nodded, she snorted. "Ah, my brothers. They're being nice. Good. Hey, Mikoto, want to go sit down?"

"Your brothers?" Mikoto asked faintly as she settled herself behind the vixen's shoulders.

"Ichi-Tora and Ni-Tora, identical twins and total dorks," Kushina replied and headed back to the high concrete wall that would lead up into the stands. "Before they were born, the story goes, they moved so much in my mother's womb that she compared them to brawling tigers, hence their names. When they sync up, it's like they're one person in two bodies. They can even talk in unison…"

Kushina rambled on about her brothers, but Mikoto stopped listening. She was thoroughly tired of feeling like she was trapped on a rollercoaster. Her injuries throbbed and she dearly wanted to lie down and sleep, but she couldn't.

_I need to see my baby so that I know he's alright…_

* * *

Naruto rubbed his arms furiously as he slunk around at the tail-end of the group. After the cold wind had passed everyone else had relaxed as they got underway back to the stadium. But Naruto just felt worse and worse as the minutes dragged on. Not even leaving the forest for the village streets eased the rising sensation of dread that crawled up and down his spine.

_It's like… It's like I'm back in the Forest of Death and I'm heading towards the Kyuubi bones. But…that's so far away from here! I stopped feeling it once I reached the tower. I shouldn't feel it all the way over here…_

And yet the eerie feeling remained. It was like the insane red eye of the giant fox was staring at him. It was like its sickly energy could reach out and grab him and make him its helpless puppet again.

He wanted to run far away until he stopped feeling its evil presence.

_It can't get me,_ he chanted to himself. _It's dead, it can't get me. It's dead and buried. I'm okay, it's can't get me again…_

* * *

Kushina sprawled across several empty seats as she rested and gathered her strength. All the minor injuries that she'd acquired earlier had healed, but she was still a bit sore in places. With concerns that there were more enemy Kitsune somewhere inside or outside of Konoha, waiting for one last strike, she had to be ready for anything.

In the row below her, Mikoto fidgeted with her bandaged arm while she sat with her injured ankle propped up on the back of the chair in front of her. Her Uchiha friend was beat up and exhausted but Kushina knew she wouldn't relax. Mikoto wouldn't rest until Sasuke was back within her reach, safe and healthy.

It would certainly ease Kushina's mind when Naruto was back, too.

_Tora-Tora will take care of Naruto. They never were mean to him. Arashi was the only brother that really disliked Naruto at all. So he'll be fine…Sasuke, too. And there are ANBU shadowing them to boot, so everything will be just fine._

She sighed and rested her chin on her forepaws.

_I suppose that Minato's still busy flashing all over killing demons… It's too bad. I was hoping that he could come here and rest with me…maybe cuddle a little. Today really sucks!_

Her five tails twitched and wriggled as she sank into a daydream of an uninterrupted Final Trial where Naruto went on to participate in the second round and performed well enough to be declared a chuunin. Then she would've taken him out to his favorite restaurant and fed him all the ramen that he wanted. And then she and Naruto would've gone back to the house where Minato would be waiting and he'd be so proud…

_If only things could've gone that way,_ Kushina sulked. _Even if he didn't make chuunin, it would still be okay so long as he didn't get hurt in the second round. It would be so much better than this—this mess!_

Before she could really get into her seething over how disastrous the day had gone, a slight commotion one level up caught her ear. She lifted her head and peered up the chair-covered slope to see the clump of medics and patients that she'd first visited to get Mikoto properly patched up. It looked like Jiraiya was up there along with some blonde woman in a green loose jacket.

_That can't be Tsunade…can it?_

Intrigued, Kushina bounded up the rows of seats until she reached the group of ninja and found that Senju Tsunade was indeed back in Konoha.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out in shock.

The busty blonde woman whirled around and narrowed her light brown eyes at the five-tailed vixen. "Who are you?"

"Tsunade-hime surprised me too!" Jiraiya boomed with a grin and looped an arm over the woman's shoulders. "What great timing, eh?"

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade growled warningly. "You know this Kitsune?" Her eyes flitted over the red fox. "You didn't seduce this horny old goat, did you?"

"Ew, no!" Kushina gagged. "No way! I have a boyfriend!"

"Yes, I know—you have a boyfriend?" Jiraiya flashed Kushina a look that was almost disapproving.

"Not a new one," Kushina informed the white-haired man with a sniff. "Just the one that I've always had."

Jiraiya gaped at her as he tried to get his mind around what she was saying.

"So, Jiraiya, who is she?" Tsunade demanded and roughly shrugged his arm off her shoulders. "How do you know her if you didn't sleep with her?"

"She is Uzumaki Kushina," Kaito said, wandering over from a little Kitsune conference several sections to the left. "Hello, Tsunade-chan. It's nice to see you again."

"Kaito-san," Tsunade blinked, startled. "Aren't you…retired?"

"Yes, and very old, too," he smiled. "But age isn't as much of a problem for me as it would be for you."

"What do you…you…have a tail," the blonde woman blinked.

"Very observant of you," he said with a wry smile and twitched the fluffy appendage. "I have six of them, actually."

Tsunade goggled at him before whipping her head back to the red vixen. "Kushina?"

"That's my name, _dattebane_!" Kushina grinned.

"…Great," Tsunade grunted and rubbed furiously at her forehead. "I come here chasing a crazy old woman and I find a mess that keeps getting bigger and more tangled."

"A crazy old woman?" Kushina repeated, cocking her head curiously.

"Yes," the Senju growled. "A crazy old woman that refers to me as her descendant and seems to know an awful lot about me—enough to dump guilt trips on me—and knows at least one of my family's jutsu."

Kushina cocked her head the other way. "Weird."

"Which one?" Kaito inquired.

"This one," Tsunade replied, tapping the purple-hued diamond-shaped chakra seal on her forehead.

"Hmm…" Kaito fingered his ruined ear and narrowed his eyes in deep thought. "What did she look like?"

"An old servant woman with gray hair up in two buns," Tsunade answered. "Why?"

Kushina narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. _That sounds like the gardener…_

"Tell me…are you a direct descendant of Senju Hashirama?" Kaito asked.

"Yes," Tsunade snapped. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"And she said that she'd be here?" Kaito questioned with a deep frown.

"Why else would I come back to this miserable village?" Tsunade hissed, her patience clearly fraying. "The old crone taunted me—swore that if I wanted answers from her I'd have to come here and see her!"

"Huh, then where the hell is she?" Kaito complained, tugging fiercely on the stump of his ear. "If Mito-sama was here clearing up this invasion would've been a cakewalk. And she'd probably have some idea what the wind earlier was about."

"Mito? The nice old gardener of the Uzumaki clan?" Jiraiya blinked. "She asked a lot of questions about you, Tsunade-hime. I'm surprised that she managed to track you down so quickly."

"You told some strange old hag about me?" Tsunade roared, her face darkening with anger.

"Now is not the time to be fighting, children," Kaito interrupted firmly. "If Mito-sama isn't here, she's where the _real_ danger is lurking."

"The gardener?" Kushina said, baffled.

"She wasn't always a gardener," Kaito told her. "Two hundred and fifty or so years ago, she was someone much different…"

* * *

Minato crouched on the roof of a restaurant and gulped water between dog-like pants. He was really getting tired and overheated and he dearly hoped that there would be no more calls for assistance. All he wanted was to rest and catch his breath for a while.

But he didn't count on things being over yet. The all-clear signal hadn't gone over the ANBU radio. And that odd gust of icy wind that had buffeted him earlier…

_That wind wasn't normal._ His claws tapped thoughtfully against the gray roof tiles._ It wasn't a _fuuton_ jutsu, but…_

_ I might as well check it out while I have the time._

Since he couldn't speak, he tapped a coded message into his radio to declare his actions, turned his nose towards the direction that the wind had come from, and set off at an easy lope.

* * *

He had always expected that he would need to possess another of his kind or purify a hanyou to escape the grave. He had known that in doing that it would take time to devour the soul of his victim, alter the new body to his liking, and rebuild his strengths before he could properly take revenge for old and new wrongs. But _now_…

Now he had nine lives to rebuild his old body so that he could take his vengeance _now_!

The fresh life force animated his blackened skeleton and sparked the re-growth of organs, muscle, skin, and fur. Five of his tails were free of the earth and the tangle of tree roots that had bound them and it was only a matter of time before the remaining four broke loose. His upper torso was out of the grave and looming over the tree tops.

Newly reborn lungs sucked in shuddering shallow breaths. Lidless eyes rolled in their sockets as they slowly focused and saw for the first time. Long strips of white cartilage that were developing into ears slowly unfurled and took in the sounds of groaning trees and terrified wildlife. A tongue lolled out of the side of a lipless mouth and tasted dirt and the ashy remains of moss and vines that still clung to the mostly-naked skull.

_Soon…I shall taste blood!_

"Kyuubi no Yoko!" a small distant voice called up to him. "Rise and hear my commands!"

He tilted his head down and struggled to get his regenerated eyes to focus on a cluster of tiny lesser beings that huddled near his forepaws. He tried to smell for them, but his nose hadn't formed enough to detect anything. He lowered his skull and finally saw enough to determine that they were more of his kind.

"When your body is complete you will go to Konoha and destroy that wretched village!" the leader of the little group commanded.

_Yes, I will—_

His thoughts screeched to a halt.

_Who is this inferior fox that presumes to order __**me**__ around?_

Fresh indignant rage blossomed in his uncovered ribcage. For centuries he'd been dead and buried within sight of his most important target, left infuriatingly impotent. Now, after so very, very long, Kitsune had come for him, not to serve him but to use him. These worms should worship him and far his power! And yet they arrogantly thought to make him their servant.

They would pay!

**"Hhrraaaa!"**

He raised one mostly-skeletal paw and slammed it down on the wretched insects. The survivors sought to flee but he struck again and again and even scooped a few up in his jaws. Crushing them in his teeth he drank in their life energies like sweet nectar and boosted his rebirth further.

_Arrogant whelps!_ He seethed and the corona of his _youki_ boiled ferociously. _They didn't even know my name!_

A sixth tail emerged into the sunlight and he lifted his head to survey his surroundings with increasingly clear vision.

_Trees… That stupid human's trees… I hate trees!_

With a hiss he wasted power on vomiting flames on the greenery until he was ringed with smoke and fire. The flames started out blue and turned the usual shades once they caught hold of their fuel. They weren't black, like that _other_ stupid human's eye-spawned fire. The petty act of destruction almost made him feel better.

Fresh muscle formed over his ribcage and down his forelegs as fur sprouted along his spine and over his chest.

_Konoha… Yes, I will destroy it! I will leave it a smoking ruin! A crater! A wasteland!_

A seventh tail slowly slithered free, uprooting dozens of giant trees in the process.

_That stupid human is long dead by now. That other stupid human is also long dead. And that bitch—the wretched vixen bitch—she must be dead! Those horrid humans must've found her out and killed her. So there will be no one to stop me this time!_

He clacked his toothy jaws in hungry anticipation.

_The Leaf will burn! The Uchiha will burn! The human race will burn!_

_ They will pay for what was done to me!_

_ I will make them all but a fleeting memory in my new world!_

_ And—_

White chains that looked like mere threads against his vast bulk coiled around his neck and forelimbs, over his back and flanks, and bound his thrashing tails. A sense of weight and weakness flowed over him and his healing slowed. It was a horribly familiar sensation and when he traced the chains back to the source he saw a horribly familiar figure.

**"Damn you, Uzumaki!"**


	59. Killing the Dead

**Chapter 58**

_Killing the Dead_

Kurohi Yuuma sighed wearily and set aside the ledgers that he'd been reviewing and moved to look out the window of his office. He stared out over the chaotic tangle of buildings that filled the Kurohi District and grimaced. In his earliest memories, there had been clear pathways and plenty of spaces for flower gardens. But most of that was gone, built over so that there was more housing for the new foxes that were born. The only streets unaffected by the almost cancerous growth of buildings were the roads that acted as boundary lines between the districts.

_The Uzumaki and their lackeys call us mad for striking out at the humans,_ he mused. _But even if there wasn't any need for vengeance we would still have to do this. There simply isn't enough room behind these walls anymore…_

He opened his windows to get some fresh air and leaned out, turning his face in the general direction of Konoha, where his father and son were enacting their plans.

_I hope that things are going well._

* * *

Mito clenched her teeth and tightened her anchoring chains around the tree that she was perched in as her foe struggled against her hold.

_I had forgotten just how strong he was…_

**"Uzumaki!"** his terrible booming voice bellowed. **"Release me you traitorous bitch!"**

_You call me a traitor?_ She snorted derisively. _That would imply that I was on your side once…and I never was._

**"You can't hold me forever!"** he howled as her chains bit into his naked muscle and blackened bone. **"You didn't last more than five minutes last time, and the only thing that saved you was those humans! And they are dead now… No one can save you when I break free!"**

"That is true," she said quietly, more to herself than him. "Madara and Hashirama-kun are long dead. They cannot come to my aid this time. But it has been two hundred and fifty years since the last time. You have been dead, your power mostly sealed or used to bind your wretched soul to the land of the living. I, however, have lived those years…"

The greenish crystal pendant around her neck shattered. Her pupils stretched into slits, her nails grew into claws, her ears lengthened into furry points, the deep wrinkles smoothed from her face and hands, and a coppery red-gold tint returned to her hair. The air around her shimmered with power like a heat-spawned mirage, which made it difficult to count just how many tails were waving behind her.

"…And I have grown stronger!"

* * *

"So…she was a kunoichi?" Kushina guessed.

"Well, yes," Kaito nodded. "Mito-sama was—"

"Quit struggling, prisoner!"

Kushina looked over at one of the entryways that led out from the interior hallways of the stadium to see her brother Arashi gleefully dragging along another Kitsune. It was a tan-colored male that had his legs hobbled and his three tails cut down to stumps. Arashi hauled the miserable beast along by a wire-threaded rope tied tightly around his neck.

"Who do you have there?" Kaito asked before Kushina could.

"This bastard is Isamu," Arashi said with a smirk. "He's one of Yuudai's weasel-y little friends. I figure we can get Konoha to torture him a bit so that he spills where Yuudai is and what his plans are."

"Yuudai's already dead," Kushina sniffed.

"Aw, damn it!" Arashi growled. "Then I wasted my time catching him. I should've just killed him instead."

Isamu whined piteously and cringed away from Arashi as much as the rope would let him.

"If he knows of the Kurohi's plans he could still be useful." Kaito turned to the two Sannin. "If you could find a skilled Yamanaka for me so that we can quickly pick his brains?"

"Pick my brains?" Isamu squeaked. "Will they cut open my head?"

"No, they'll just read your mind," Kushina informed him. "Every secret, every thought, no matter how hard you try to hide it, a Yamanaka can find it!"

"I don't want a human in my head!" Isamu wailed. "I didn't even want to come here! Now my tails are gone and—"

"Shut up!" Arashi grunted and kicked the fox in the ribs.

"If you don't want a Yamanaka prying in your thoughts, why don't you just tell us what your friends are up to?" Jiraiya suggested.

"I'll tell you anything!" Isamu promised. He tried to sink to his belly, but his hobbled legs made it impossible so he flopped onto his side. "Anything you want to know!"

"What are your side's plans?" Tsunade demanded, grabbing Isamu by the scruff of his neck.

"Aiie!" he shrieked, eyes bulging out of their sockets in terror. "Don't touch me, human! I don't want to be skinned!"

"What a wimp," Kushina sneered.

"He always was a wuss," Arashi agreed, giving the captive Kitsune another kick. "I think he always followed Yuudai around so that others wouldn't bully him."

"If you want me to let you go, answer the damn question!" Tsunade snapped, giving him a rough shake. "What are your other plans for attacking the village?"

"Y-Yuuta-sama, he…he went into the forest!" Isamu babbled. "He went into the forest to wake it up! That's where the rest are—in the forest!"

"What forest?" Kaito demanded sharply, shoving Tsunade aside to grab Isamu's ears and pull hard. "Wake what up?"

"The Forest of Death!" Isamu gasped, trying to curl in on himself. "They went to the grave!"

Kaito paled and drew back from the wretched fox.

_What is he talking abou—_ Kushina stiffened and stared as her fur bristled. _He can't mean __**that**__…can he? They can't be that insane, right?_

"I take it that this is a bad thing?" Arashi frowned.

"Did you sleep through all your history lessons?" Kushina hissed. "The Forest of Death is where the Kyuubi no Yoko's bones are buried!"

"But it's dead," Arashi shrugged. "What's so frightening about a bunch of bones?"

"True, it is dead," Kaito nodded. "But many fear that it isn't gone. And if they know a way to resurrect it…"

"It isn't gone," Kushina gulped. "It's still there." _It touched Naruto!_

Kaito bowed his head. "Then we are in serious trouble."

* * *

Mito grimaced as she struggled to drag the Kyuubi no Yoko back down into its grave. Kitsune which had been left to guard against interruption of the ritual were now attacking her. Either they had no idea that the Kyuubi was uncontrolled and their leaders killed, or they thought that they could somehow salvage the situation and still use the mad demon for their bloodthirsty ends. Under normal circumstances their interference wouldn't have been much of a problem, but with all of her focus and energy on the Kyuubi, she really couldn't do much to defend herself.

_I might have to let the beast go,_ she cursed to herself as she flicked another attacker away with one of her tails. _ I can't subdue it and deal with them at the same time. But if I let it go, it will be able to attack me and continue to regenerate…_

By her estimation, the Kyuubi was about seventy percent regenerated. The burning trees were clear proof that it was already able to launch attacks. So if she let it go, it wouldn't take the beast very long to fully heal, and it would surely attempt to kill her while she dealt with these pests.

_I need help. I thought I could bury it again, disrupt its rebirth, and seal its power away again. But I'm still not strong enough to defeat it alone._

The gap between their strengths was much smaller than it had been previously. The last time she'd gone up against the monstrous fox it had taken all of her energy to stall it for five minutes, and the effort had almost killed her. Now the effort wasn't nearly as much of a strain, but the mad creature fought with the added strength of insanity and desperation.

Some of the enemy Kitsune started launching attacks against her chains, causing them to slip and one even snapped. The Kyuubi howled and renewed its thrashing against her imprisonment. Mito cursed under her breath and fired a fresh wave of chains from her chest to try and repair the damage to her original binding.

_I should've sent a message to them, saying where I was going,_ she chastised herself. _I should be too old to make such foolish mistakes. If—_

Another sentry fox tried to attack her directly and got within a yard before she noticed—

A flash of yellow fur, black cloth, and white armor slammed into the attacking Kitsune's flank, driving it savagely sideways and through a dense screen of leaves.

_What the…?_ Mito blinked and sniffed at the air. _Who was that—that smelled like a wolf!_

A memory of a shaggy black wolf monster wearing red old-style armor racing towards her with madness blazing in his red spinning eyes flitted through her mind.

_…A werewolf?_

* * *

Minato was sure what he expected to find when he went in search of what might've caused the odd cold wind, but it certainly wasn't an undead fox demon the size of Gamabunta. The creature was a hideous sight—mostly skinless with lidless bulging eyes and a ghastly lipless grin, its body partly shrouded by smoke and flame. But as he stared at it in horror, he noticed that it was restrained by odd glowing threads.

Shaking off his shock, he moved in closer.

The odd glowing threads, he discovered, were actually chains fashioned from chakra, just like what Kushina could produce. And the source of the chains was a figure enveloped in a haze of power. Since it was using a technique that Kushina had described as a _kekkei genkai_, he guessed that the person was a relative of hers, and a very powerful one at that.

_I can't count how many tails… Are there seven? Eight? Nine?_

But whoever-it-was was in trouble. Dozens of Kitsune were attacking the figure, or the chains it was making. Their attacks were light and swift, but their darting movements made it impossible for the chain-maker to retaliate.

_Not that whoever-it-is __**can**__ retaliate,_ he thought. _Whenever Kushina used that technique she couldn't do much else. Sometimes when she was subduing a foe she couldn't even move to dodge attacks from other enemies._

Flexing his claws, he threw himself into the fray. The mysterious person was clearly a relative of Kushina's, therefore mostly likely on Konoha's side. The giant fox zombie was just as clearly an enemy of the village. So the decision on what to do was easy.

Every time a Kitsune revealed itself by attacking, he went after it. He broke limbs, he smashed jaws, he shattered skulls, and he snapped spines. As he thinned down their numbers he took the time to use more than brute force—slamming _rasengan_ orbs into chests and shredding foes with invisible claws of wind.

The few Kitsune remained after that shifted their attention from the one that was restraining their giant monster, to him. They had developed a healthy respect for him now and tried to cloak themselves in illusions or lure him into traps. But they didn't seem to get his _hiraishin_ and how it allowed him to escape their snares and bombs and illusion-cloaked blades, and when he retaliated against them they never saw him coming.

He dispatched Kitsune number thirty-eight—a charcoal gray vixen with four tails—with a _rasengan_ to the spine after breaking her right foreleg, and sniffed at the smoke-choked air for the next—

**"I will not be defeated!"** the giant zombie fox bellowed, which startled Minato as all he'd heard from the creature since his arrival on the scene was roars of rage. **"Not again! Not by you! Die, Uzumaki!"**

He had to scramble back to the mystery Uzumaki as his seek-and-destroy activities had drawn him away. The undead creature now had eight enormous tails straining against the chakra chains and a _ninth_ appeared to be emerging through the tall dense trees. Its half-skeletal jaws were opened wide and an ominous sphere of black energy was sluggishly forming.

Minato positioned himself to intercept the attack when it was launched, drew one of the seal-wrapped tri-kunai he had on hand, and waited.

It took several minutes, but he had expected that. From personal experience with Kushina's chakra chains, he knew the technique interrupted and suppressed chakra flow in the ensnared target. Kushina had even claimed to him that it would subdue foes that were many times stronger than the caster. So it didn't surprise him that the giant Kitsune was having so much trouble gathering energy, it surprised him that it could do it at all.

_This thing is strong!_

Finally the beast fired the massive sphere. Minato calmly raised his weapon, held the seal on the handle facing the black orb, and gave the seal a little twist with his chakra. The seal twisted open, creating a black void that easily swallowed the deadly sphere, then he twisted the seal again, sealing up the void and locking the dangerous energy into a pocket of frozen space/time.

**"…**_**What**_**?"**

Adjusting his grip on the kunai, Minato pulled back his arm and hurled the blade into the creature's gaping maw. The massive Kitsune reared its head back, straining against the binding chains, its bulging eyes rolling wildly in their sockets. Then, with a moment's concentration and a pair of hand-seals, he unzipped the seal again.

_**BOOM!**_

The undead thing's puffed outward and gouts of smoke burst through bare gaps in its ribcage. Its throat exploded, leaving a ragged hole, and more black smoke boiled out of its jaws and nostrils. With a gurgling groan the skinless monstrosity leaned forward and half-collapsed.

"Very impressive," a woman's voice said. "This makes you the second werewolf that I have encountered that has retained its sentience. Hopefully you are a better fellow than the first one."

He peered over his shoulder to find a woman of indeterminate age crouched on a tree branch with dozens of chakra chains sprouting from her torso. The haze of power had faded enough for him to get a better look at her and he tentatively pegged her as an eight-tailed fox. He blinked upon noticing the diamond-shaped chakra storage seal on her forehead that appeared to be identical to Tsunade's.

_Who is this?_

* * *

The mood was beyond grim as a small horde of ninja and Kitsune sprinted towards the village's largest and more remote training ground. The Hokage was near the front, riding on Enma's shoulders to preserve his strength for the struggle ahead. He was surrounded by ANBU, Kitsune, and dozens and dozens of Konoha-nin. Nearly all of the village's major clans were represented, with only the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, and the Aburame not having high-ranking members present.

_I wish that Mikoto could come,_ Kushina thought as she bounded through the trees on Furukawa Kaito's heels. _But this fight is no place for a lamed ninja. It's probably best that she just stays at the stadium and waits for Sasuke to arrive… But her company would've been nice._

She also wished that Minato was present. Before their small army had departed from the stadium, the Hokage had tried to summon him but he had failed to appear. That had to mean that he was busy somewhere…or that he was too hurt to respond, or…

_He's fine,_ she scowled. _He's just busy somewhere. When he's free, he'll catch up with us. There's no way some demon, Oto-nin, or nutty Uchiha got to him. Not with his crazy _hiraishin_ skills!_

The group gathered atop a ridge that overlooked the Forest of Death to survey the situation…and it didn't look good.

The Kyuubi no Yoko was almost completely free of its grave, with only its back legs apparently still buried. The body was partly masked by the thick smoke rising from burning trees, but what they could make out didn't look promising. Its nine massive tails twisted over the tree tops and its skeleton was mostly covered in flesh and a few patches of fur. Very soon it seemed that it would be completely restored and ready to rampage through Konoha.

"They're mad!" Kaito muttered. "To revive this beast…they're absolutely mad!"

"What are your orders, Hokage-sama?" one of the ANBU asked.

"Long-ranged attacks only," the old man said. "And no _katon_ jutsu. Encircle it but be wary of its tails. If we can damage it enough before it fully heals its resurrection will fail."

"That thing is coated in _youki_," a white vixen warned. "Even a near miss could result in terrible chakra burns."

"I can't tell if Mito-sama is there, there's too much smoke," Kaito frowned. "If she isn't, Kushina will have to use the _Kusari no Tenko_ to try and restrain it."

Kushina's hackles rose at the thought of getting any closer to that…_thing_…but nodded in acceptance of her role. "I got it."

"Time is of the essence." The Hokage gestured towards the giant reanimated corpse. "The Kyuubi no Yoko must be destroyed immediately!"

Without any further discussion, the ninja began racing towards the zombie demon. They swarmed through the tree tops and spread out to surround their enormous foe. As they drew nearer the wind shifted and the curtain of smoke around the monster dispersed some, giving a much clearer view of the monstrosity…and the chakra chains that bound it.

_Oh good, Baa-chan already has it bound,_ Kushina thought with relief. _But…there's no telling how long she's held it back. She might need my help…_

She hurried to move around towards the demon's head where she could get into a position to add her own chains without interfering with the ones already in place, barely noticing Jiraiya, Tsume, and Kuromaru shadowing her.

**"NO!"** the Kyuubi bellowed and strained harder against the chains. **"No, no, no! I won't—"**

There was an explosion high overhead and a billow of white smoke and then a gigantic toad wearing a jacket hurtled out of the sky. The brown, pipe-smoking amphibian crashed down onto the reanimated Kyuubi's back and there was a terrific crack that had to be the creature's spine snapping. The Kyuubi made a horrid shrieking sound and sank almost completely from view while the summoned toad still perched on its corpse.

"Great move, Jiraiya-sama!" Tsume crowed as they came to a stop to watch the new development.

"Hey, that wasn't me!" Jiraiya protested.

_If not him, then…_ Kushina grinned broadly. _So this is what Minato was busy with. And what a genius move, dropping a massive weight on the Kyuubi while it's bound and its body is still incomplete and fragile!_

**"Ugh, what a disgusting beast,"**Gamabunta rumbled.

**"Stupid…fat…frog!"** the Kyuubi snarled and wheezed.

**"I am not a frog!"** Gamabunta boomed and drew his massive tanto from its sheath. **"I am a toad!"**

And then the toad stabbed the tip of his weapon down into the zombie's neck, decapitating it. The chain-covered, half-raised nine tails jerked and then collapsed into the forest, toppling more trees as they landed. Gamabunta twisted his knife and then removed it and sheathed it once more.

**"I do believe this scum is finished,"** Gamabunta said and puffed on his pipe. **"I shall depart."**

With another burst of white smoke, the giant toad demon vanished back to his distant mountain home.

"Well if you didn't summon that toad, who did?" Tsume demanded.

"Let's go look and see!" Kushina suggested cheerfully and took off again towards where the old gardener should be. _I hope Minato is there, too. I can't wait to see Jiraiya's face!_

* * *

As soon as Gamabunta cut the Kyuubi's head from its body, the thing started to rot. Combined with the heavy acrid smoke, the stench was intense and overwhelming. Minato wasn't sure whether he wanted to fall out of the tree or vomit.

_Why did the wind have to change?_ He moaned and tried to sneeze the stink out of his nostrils. _This has got to be the nastiest thing I've ever smelled!_

As he watched through watering eyes the flesh and organs putrefied and fell right off the blackened bones. The thing seemed to be rotting even faster than it had regenerated itself earlier. It was like a time-lapse film of plants sprouting…only it was incredibly disgusting.

The Uzumaki woman seemed unmoved by the wretched smell or sight. She just crouched there and kept her chains coiled around the rotting carcass. Only when all the flesh was gone from the skeleton—leaving just a sullen glow of red _youki_ clinging to the bones—did she move.

She leapt up into the air as her chains faded away and fired three dense orbs of energy—white where the Kyuubi's had been black. The energy balls struck the Kyuubi's skull and exploded with terrific booms and flashes of light. When Minato's senses recovered from that assault, he saw her darting over the corpse, slapping seal papers over the bones as she went. The giant demon's skull had been shattered, with only a few teeth still recognizable among the shards of shattered bone.

_Huh, I wonder why she did that,_ he pondered as the wind shifted again, mercifully blowing the stench in a different direction. _Was it to make it much harder to revive it again? Or to banish the thing's spirit to the afterlife? Or maybe—_

"A werewolf?"

Minato's ear twitched and he turned to spy glimpses of several ANBU hiding nearby. The horrid stink of the giant Kitsune had completely masked their arrival. And now that he could smell again, he could tell that more humans and Kitsune (hopefully allies) were coming.

_Perhaps I ought to leave and find out what that summoning I ignored was all about…_

"That was brilliant!" Kushina cried as she bounded into view. "You totally—_bleh!_" she coughed and came to a stop after catching a lingering whiff of the corpse. "What's that stink, _dattebane_?"

He pointed a claw in the direction of the huge fox skeleton.

"Ew, it smells so bad I can taste it!" she complained, pawing at her nose as she sat by his feet. "Does it reek so bad because this is the second time it's died?"

The werewolf shrugged.

"Minato?" He looked up to see his old sensei one tree over, staring at him. "Is that you?"

Minato gave a little wave.

Jiraiya looked like he was going to cry.

In the treetops all around him more and more Konoha-nin with a sprinkling of Kitsune began to gather. He saw Tsume and Kuromaru, along with Inoichi, Chouza, and Shikaku. Kakashi turned up as well, with other shinobi that had been part of his age group that were now all grown up. Soon even the Hokage would be here.

They all stared at him with confusion or wonder, but none moved to attack him and a lump started to form in his throat.

_I've been back in Konoha for months now, but…_

It almost felt like he had just come home—

A twinge of warning raced up his spine and he looped his arms around Kushina's fox body and leapt—

A kunai with an exploding tag landed where he had been crouching, destroying the branch and blowing splinters in every direction.

"A werewolf in ANBU armor… It seems that the Hokage is more like his dishonored student than anyone ever imagined."

Minato dug his claws deeply into his new branch and snarled at a new mass of shinobi that had appeared, and its leader especially.

_Fugaku!_


	60. Truth

**Chapter 59**

_Truth_

As his power was sealed away, the mighty demon seethed. He'd almost been free, almost achieved a measure of vengeance, only to have his hopes dashed! But while he had been beaten back again, he was not defeated, not gone.

_I will never leave!_ he swore as he went about anchoring his spirit to his remains once more to fight the constant pull of death. _I will wait forever for my revenge! Even beyond the ending of the world I will wait!_

Dreams of sweet destruction rose up like a refuge against the stark nothingness of his fresh prison.

_I will not leave this plane until all the Uchiha and the rest of their wretched species are eliminated! Only then, when I have destroyed all that you love and treasure, will I go to the afterlife. And then I will find you, Father…__**and I will devour your soul**__!_

* * *

Naruto stumbled…and then the pressure was gone. The feeling that he was being watched, that something was out to get him, had vanished. He felt lighter and almost relaxed. The blond genin even started to smile again.

_Huh, this has got to be a good sign, right?_

The stadium's main entrance came into view and Naruto was soon bouncing off ahead of his uncles, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino.

_Everything's over and we're home free!_

* * *

Every inch of Minato's fur that wasn't pressed down by clothing bristled to stand on end as he surveyed the group of Uchiha that had appeared. By his estimate, at least half of the active ninja of that clan were present and ready for a fight. If he had to battle with them…it would be difficult.

Those with activated Sharingan would be able to predict the paths of his special kunai and deflect or dodge them before they could get close enough for him to use them as attack points. The only way he could tangle with the Sharingan was to use dozens of kunai to lay down warp points all over the battlefield and make it impossible for them to guess where he would appear next. But he didn't even have enough kunai handy to make a basic assault with his _hiraishin_, let alone seed the battleground with enough markers to make that strategy work.

He could briefly leave the forest to fetch a store of fresh tri-kunai from a storage depot, and drop off Kushina in a safe area while he was at it. But she would be the only Kitsune he would likely have time to save before he would have to deal with angry Uchiha. And it would make them even more eager to kill him as a werewolf that could use jutsu and defended dangerous demons was something like the ultimate evil in their eyes.

_Well isn't this just wonderful…!_

"Fugaku," the Hokage's aged voice called out. "I do believe that you were encouraged to remain within the walls of your district until after the Trials were completed."

"Considering recent events it is quite clear to me that the Trials are over," Fugaku scowled. "Now wait a moment while your pet werewolf and Kitsune minions are dealt with so that we are free to discuss these recent events at our leisure."

Fugaku raised a hand and several Uchiha leapt forward in a wide semi-circle around the yellow werewolf, silver blades raised—

Minato tensed and slipped his arm around Kushina's torso again, making her squeak—

"Stand down!" the Hokage bellowed—

ANBU-nin drew their short swords, ready to intervene if ordered—

Kitsune lashed their tails (if they had them out) and snarled—

_Thwack!_

Everything seemed to freeze.

Minato's jaw dropped when he spied the old woman standing beside Fugaku. She'd shed all her Kitsune features and looked like a perfectly ordinary, perfectly _human_ old woman with slightly stooped shoulders, wrinkles, and silvery hair. In one hand she held a folding fan that was as faded and frayed as the rest of her clothing…and she had hit Fugaku upside the head with it.

"How dare you!" the Uchiha snarled, one remaining eye blazing to red, spinning life.

"No, young man," she snorted, gazing calmly over his shoulder to avoid his dangerous gaze. "How dare _you_? You are leader of your clan, but you are subordinate to the Hokage. Didn't your father teach you anything?"

Several Uchiha sucked in sharp breaths as Fugaku's mouth twisted in fury.

"Now why don't you run along home with all of your clansmen?" the old woman suggested. "You aren't needed here and I'm sure that there's plenty of clean-up hunting to be doing back in the village."

Minato's jaw dropped lower. _She's definitely related to Kushina._

"We most certainly will not return to the village!" Fugaku ground out. "There are Kitsune present—demons that rank at least A-class—that must be destroyed. And worse, we have uncovered evidence that the Hokage is experimenting with werewolves! This…prototype…must be killed and the situation dealt with—immediately!"

_"(I am no 'prototype'!)"_ Minato snarled softly, flexing his claws into the bark under his paws. It didn't matter that most present wouldn't understand his words. At least Tsume and Kuromaru would hear him. _"(I didn't volunteer for this; I didn't seek it out!)"_

"I have done no such thing," the Hokage responded coolly. "If you wish to lose the Military Police, please, continue to make baseless accusations and disobey my commands."

"The Uchiha Clan has no confidence in your leadership any longer—!"

_Thwack!_

The old woman flashed Fugaku a disapproving glare as he wobbled from the second unexpected blow to his jaw.

"What gives you the idea that you have the right to behave so shamefully?" she snapped, gray eyes hard. "You remind me of the worst product of your clan. Your arrogance and sense self-importance…it brings to mind Madara."

"You insult me!" Fugaku shouted as his face darkened towards an alarming shade of red.

"Odd," she sniffed. "With your attitude I thought you'd be flattered by the comparison."

The Uchiha Clan hissed in fury like it was a single organism and shifted to loosely encircle her. The old woman seemed utterly oblivious to her rapidly deteriorating situation. She just balanced on Fugaku's branch just within arm's reach of him and lazily fanned herself as she stared at some point low on his face.

_Should I try to rescue her?_ Minato pondered as he watched. _Sure, she stood up the Kyuubi without any trouble, but that was one undead demon. These are dozens of angry Uchiha…_

"This is great!" Minato twitched his ear at the voice and spied a grinning Kitsune several yards to his right. "Mito-sama's going to incinerate these bastards!"

"Senile old woman!" Fugaku barked. "There is no greater insult than to compare an Uchiha to Madara! He disgraced himself beyond all measure and has left a lingering stain upon our proud name. We labor every day to undo the damage that his dishonorable actions have wrought."

"So…your bad behavior perpetrated in the name of dealing with the consequences of Madara's bad behavior is somehow justified? Is that what you're saying?" She snapped her fan closed and waggled it disapprovingly. "That makes no sense at all."

Unable to restrain his temper any longer, Fugaku raised his fist to strike her. But she easily danced away from his punch with a speed and grace that belied her apparent age, and she even smacked his wrist before she moved out of his range. Eager to avenge their leader's humiliation a young Uchiha leapt at her back and stabbed her…

…Only to find his kunai stuck through a broken tree branch.

"I suppose that none of you were taught to respect your elders, either," Mito sighed dryly, revealing herself to have moved a few branches above and to the left of where Minato and Kushina sat. "What a shame."

"Who are you?" Fugaku demanded. "What gives _you_ the right to interfere?"

"My name is Uzumaki Mito," she replied. "And I was a ninja of Konoha once."

"What?" Kushina muttered and tilted her head. "Really?"

Minato pricked his ears forward with interest. _She was a Konoha-nin, not an Uzushio-nin? When was this?_

"I've never heard of you," Fugaku sneered dismissively.

"I'm not surprised," Mito shrugged. "I was long-retired before you were even born."

"Perhaps you ought to get back to your knitting, old woman," an Uchiha girl scoffed.

"I don't knit, dear," Mito replied.

"No," a male voice snarled, "you meddle!"

A patch of leaves rustled and an elderly man pulled himself into view. His robes were torn and his whole body was covered in blood, dirt, and ash. When Minato caught a whiff of his scent, underneath the blood, the mud, and the ash, the old man smelled like a fox.

"Kurohi Yuuta," Mito sighed wearily and shook her head. "I had hoped that the Kyuubi no Yoko had eaten you; it would've been the perfect karmic retribution for your insane folly. But alas…"

"Bastard!" Kushina growled lowly.

_So,_ Minato narrowed his eyes, _he is an enemy._

"Shut up!" Yuuta snapped, cradling his left arm to his chest. "It almost worked! It would've been perfect—to destroy Konoha with its ancient half-forgotten enemy! To use the Uchiha's creation against the village that harbors them—_hrrk!_"

Glowing white chains snapped around the filthy Kitsune and one loop tightened quite snugly around his throat, cutting off whatever else he desired to rant about.

"Hush up, you!" Mito scowled. "Quit shouting out unsubstantiated rumors just to piss people off."

"What are you babbling about?" Fugaku glowered at Yuuta. "Explain yourself immediately."

"The Kyuubi no Yoko was once a hanyou that burned away all his human blood," Yuuta choked, forcing his words past the chain on his throat. An ugly, strained smile bloomed on his filthy face. "His mother was a demon but his father, it is said, was…an Uchiha."

There was a beat of silence followed by a jumble of very angry shouts from the Uchiha present. The rest of the ninja—Minato included—gaped in shock. None of the Kitsune seemed particularly surprised and a few even snickered at the Uchiha's outrage.

"That's absurd!" Fugaku hissed, after clapping his hands for silence. "You slander us!"

Seeing that Fugaku, all the Uchiha, and…well, everyone, was distracted, Minato cautiously began to reverse his transformation and return to his human form. If he could manage it unnoticed, he could put his mask back on and hopefully be mistaken for a battle-worn ANBU. And even if he couldn't pull that off, at least a human he'd be able to speak and be understood.

"Maybe," Yuuta coughed, still grinning. "It _is_ just a rumor. There's no one left who can confirm it…or solidly deny it. Unless, of course, you want to go down to the bones and ask the Kyuubi itself."

"That won't be necessary," Fugaku sneered. "What you claim is quite impossible. No Uchiha would ever defile himself by breeding with a demon! And even if he had been deceived somehow into such a foul liaison he would've killed the 'woman' and any resulting spawn."

"That's almost what happened." Yuuta tried to chuckle but coughed more. "When the Uchiha discovered that his mistress was a Kitsune, he killed her. The son, however, survived and his hatred was born. He sought power by any means necessary and purged himself of the human blood that came from his hated father. His hatred spread from the Uchiha to all of humankind, but the clan of his father still held a _special _place in his heart."

"I've had just about enough of your lies!" Fugaku looked about ready to explode and his remaining Sharingan was almost popping out of his head. "The Kyuubi no Yoko hated humans because it was a demon and hungered to cause us suffering. If it hated the Uchiha in particular for any reason it was because it feared our power!"

"What fools you are!" Yuuta snorted. "The Kyuubi no Yoko wanted to make a grand gesture before its demise and what grander than leveling a hidden village? So, instead of running to Takigakure no Sato, which was closer to the battle site, he runs _twice_ as far to Konoha…to kill as many Uchiha as he could with his death throes! It makes perfect sense."

"It also could've chosen Konoha because it housed both the Uchiha _and_ the Senju Clans, which had produced the two primary ninja that had thwarted his plans, decimated his small army, and mortally wounded him," Mito pointed out testily. "That also makes perfect sense."

Minato pulled his wolf mask back on over his face, carefully tightened the straps on his armor, and hoped that no one noticed that he wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Mito, Mito, Mito…" His ugly smile turned patronizing. "You remember the old proverb: The only thing more destructive than a lie is the truth. And we all know that the best rumors always contain a bit of truth. Therefor—_gnk!_"

The chakra chains that bound him visibly tightened and Yuuta started to turn purple.

"You talk too much," Mito growled. "There is no proof one way or the other. Let that rumor lie buried in the past."

"St'pid b'tch!" Yuuta gurgled. "Damn you an' y'r st'pid human hus—"

A kunai slipped between chain-links and buried itself deep into Yuuta's throat. The fox in human skin wheezed and blood oozed between his lips. Then he toppled out of the tree tops to dangle by Mito's chains as his life started to ebb away.

"There are limits to how far my clan can be insulted," Fugaku scowled as he lowered his hand from the throwing position. "I've heard more than enough filthy lies from you." His remaining eye shifted to stare at Mito. "Cease your interference, or share his fate. We have demons and a werewolf to hunt down."

"What werewolf?" Kushina piped up innocently. "I don't see any werewolf here."

"That—" Fugaku snapped his head in their direction and stared, an expression of naked rage slowly congealing on his face. "_You!_ It was you who took my eye!"

_Damn, he got a good enough look at my mask to remember it,_ Minato sighed.

Without another word, Fugaku charged, intent on claiming vengeance for his crippling. Minato tried to catch a hold of Kushina and vanish from the scene but she edged out of his reach. Before he could snap at her she launched chains of her own from her back, striking Fugaku while he was mid-leap and unable to dodge, and leaving the clan leader dangling up against a tree trunk, helpless and even more furious. A few Uchiha clansmen moved to rescue him, but ANBU-nin blocked them.

"…Thanks," he muttered to her and hopped down a few branches to face the bound Fugaku.

"Release me at once—!"

Minato cut off Fugaku's demand by clapping his right hand to the back of the Uchiha's neck and squeezing.

"Right now," he said softly so that only Fugaku could hear. "I'm really regretting taking only one of your eyes."

"…_Namikaze!_" Fugaku hissed. "You can't be—how are you—_this is impossible_!"

Up above, the ninjas who had heard Fugaku's exclamations started to whisper to each other frantically, and Minato wondered why he'd even bothered putting the mask back on.

"Believe it," Minato said and tagged the Uchiha on the back of the neck with one of his _hiraishin_ seals. "Now, go home. If I have to come after you again, I will be taking more than your last Sharingan."

Fugaku continued to sputter but as nothing coherent was coming out of his mouth Minato left him there to hang to return to Kushina's side. Uzumaki Mito was already there. The old woman's (fox's) gray eyes were penetrating.

"You are very interesting," Mito said. "We _must_ have tea together while I am here."

"When my duty allows," he agreed warily.

"I will hold you to that," the old woman nodded and snapped open her fan.

Minato felt his eyebrow lift when he noticed the black branch-like seal of the Senju Clan decorating the fabric of the fan.

"Itachi, please escort your father home," the Hokage said, and Minato looked away from the old woman to see that Fugaku's older son was speaking with the ninja leader.

"I will," Itachi said with a deep bow. "I apologize for my clan."

The Hokage dismissed him with a stiff nod and the Uchiha heir went about collecting his father from Kushina's grip. The rest of the nearby Uchiha looked very unhappy but they no longer looked quite so ready to start a fight as they had earlier. Perhaps Itachi had calmed them down, or maybe what they had heard had disturbed them.

_Whatever the reason, I hope they're done being a thorn in the Hokage's side…and done plotting against Naruto._

* * *

Hinata fidgeted anxiously as she and her friends waited with other genin outside the entrances of the civilian shelters. Their job was to protect the hidden caves against attackers so that the villagers would stay safe. But if there were no enemies in sight, they were to hide and wait.

While she waited for new orders or some all-clear signal, Hinata worried. She worried about Shino and Kurenai-sensei. She worried about Shikamaru and Sasuke and Naruto. She worried about Neji and Hanabi and her father and all her relatives. She worried about everyone and everything.

And sometimes the cycle of worry was broken by the memory of a conversation she'd had with Tenten shortly after they'd arrived here under Tsunade's orders.

_"Why do you think you're going to be sealed?"_

_ "W-why w-wouldn't I b-be? It's m-my fate b-because I'm—"_

_ "You sound too much like Neji there. Anyway, maybe the reason that your dad hasn't given you a date for this sealing is because he won't put that thing on your forehead."_

_ "B-but…but…"_

She hadn't found a reason. Not one that Tenten had accepted. And still, after hours of thought, she still couldn't find an explanation that held water.

_Father sent me away, but…won't seal me into the Branch Family?_

_ …Why?_

* * *

Hiraku thought of himself as a pioneer. Everyone else except his sister, Manami, liked to call him a scout with delusions of grandeur. He cheerfully ignored them and went about his duties of checking out new territory for his pack to migrate to.

They were werewolves and they kept safe and hidden by being rootless. Every year, sometimes every season, they would pack up and move to a new arena. Sometimes they would stop in a rural area and others they would camp out in some remote corner of the wilderness. They tried not to stay in the same place twice but with many countries hosting demon-hunting ninja it was impossible.

Currently he was on a solo mission in the Land of Rice Paddies. There were all sorts of rumors about some new group or splinter group or rogue group of shinobi that had recently settled in this country. If this turned out to be true, it would be crossed off the small list of safe territories that his pack could live in and their travel plans would have to be adjusted. And he needed to know where they were based to determine what borders they would have to be wary of when passing by the country.

Considering the danger of a potential shinobi group nearby, Hiraku hiked along in human form dressed as an ordinary traveler. Even though he could travel more ground more comfortably as a wolf he could really only risk that form in the wilderness and at night. It was slower and more irritating to wander around as a human, but other benefits were that he could use roads, pass through towns, and even stay in cheap inns when he had some money handy.

_I'm really getting sick of looking at rice paddies,_ he sighed and swatted at yet another mosquito. _We should probably avoid this place anyway. There isn't much forest and there are too many farms. It will be impossible to enjoy the full moon here, even if there aren't any hunters here._

He paused for a minute beside the border of a small forest before turning and entering the trees.

_This is where all the farmers say the ninja are camping out. Hopefully they won't see me if they're here. And if they do…hopefully they'll believe that I'm just a lost migrant worker._

Hiraku's cautious search yielded no hidden shinobi, but he did find a pair of stone doors set into a hillside. It could've been a ninja base, a storage depot, or some forgotten ruin for all he knew, so he carefully investigated further. The doors were sealed in some way that made it impossible for him to pry them open, even with his full strength, but further searching revealed at least one smaller door that he could open.

The buried complex he found behind the side door was dark and eerily quiet. It had been occupied recently according to his nose but no one seemed to be home now. He hesitated for a long moment before slinking inside. Perhaps if this place was now abandoned, his pack could use it for their own purposes. They'd used half-ruined fortresses before.

He almost started to relax when he stumbled over the first booby trap. A stone sank under his sandal and he barely backpedaled fast enough to avoid becoming a pin cushion of poisoned needles. He didn't go any further down that particular hallway and he almost turned around and retraced his steps to the exit.

But his worst flaw—his insatiable curiosity—flared up and he found himself exploring further. A few other corridors were protected by traps, but plenty of others were unprotected and free for him to explore. A lot of them seemed to lead to perfectly ordinary places like a mess hall and dormitories.

However, some halls led into waking nightmares.

The scout stumbled over rooms filled with strange machines, sharp implements, bottles of mysterious chemicals, and metal tables with leather straps. The air reeked of antiseptic and death and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. And then he found a few prison cells.

Some contained dead bodies. Others held bodies that were so warped it would be kinder if they were dead. And the rest imprisoned all kinds of demons and monsters.

_What sort of hell hole is this?_ Hiraku wondered, rubbing furiously at his arms to try and stop shaking. _If this is the shinobi base…is this what those hunters really do?_

He knew he should leave, but his curiosity drove him to peer into the last cell in this corridor. Swallowing hard several times, Hiraku crept up to the last barred door and peeked through the tiny window. At first he thought it was empty, but then he noticed three small lumps of fur curled up in the far corner.

Without really thinking about it, he sprouted a claw on his index finger and used it to pick the padlock on the door.

"Foxes?" he blurted upon examining the fur balls.

They were small, dirty, and felt thin under their fluff. The little creatures were lethargic and barely reacted to his touch, but all three were still quite alive. When he shifted them into the light cast through the doorway, he saw that their dingy pelts were bizarrely colored—the first was a pale blue like a robin's egg, the second was the vibrant green of a fresh sprout, and the third was a pink a few shades deeper than a cherry blossom.

"What the heck…?" Hiraku scratched at his shaggy black hair in puzzlement. "Are they dyed?"

He poked at the docile critters for a few minutes more before mentally kicking himself. The owners of this hidden facility could come back at any time and he was playing with funny-colored animals. He put them down and started to leave…but hesitated.

_Whatever happens, they'll probably die soon. And they're not monsters like everything else I've found in here. …Should I take them with me?_

If he did, he'd have to hide them. Foxes that color would draw unwanted attention. And since they weren't in the best of health he'd probably have to break his scouting trip off early.

_…Oh, why not? They can be Manami-chan's pets. I did promise to bring back a present for her._

Hiraku scooped up the three little foxes and slipped out of the cell, almost jogging towards the exit and open air.

_I don't think I'll recommend that we travel here. It's muddy and crowded and full of mosquitoes. And then there's this horrible place that may or may not be abandoned. This is not the sort of place the Alpha will want to go, not with his wife about to have a baby._

"I wonder," he muttered to himself as he hopped out of the side door and into the forest, "what my sister will name these little critters…"

* * *

When Sasuke clawed his way out of the darkness, he woke up in what appeared to be a hospital room. Through the window he could see the fiery colors of sunset, which told him that he'd been out for several hours. He frowned and tried to remember why he'd been unconscious…

His memory drew a blank.

Unnerved, he slowly sat up and looked around. The room was small and quiet, and his mother sat dozing in a chair by his bed, opposite from the window. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her hair was mussed, there was a bandage on her cheek and her forearm, and her foot was in a cast while a pair was crutches leaned against the wall beside her.

_Mom, what happened to you?_

Now very alarmed, he reached over to wake her—

His hand was gray with claw-like nails. The gray stopped just past his wrist, but there was another patch of it on his elbow. As he examined the rest of himself in a rising panic, he found more gray hard skin on his right foot, left knee, part of his face, and there was some sort of lump just below his right shoulder blade. And then, to his horror, as he studied his mutated hand, the gray started to spread down his arm.

_What's happening to me?_

Icy talons of terror grabbed hold of his throat and he gripped at his forearm in a futile attempt to keep the gray from spreading. But now his other hand was starting to change and there was an odd tightness and grinding sensation in his back. His scalp prickled and it felt like his tongue had brushed up against an elongated tooth—

"Calm down, Sasuke."

He jumped and looked to the doorway to see Itachi with his Sharingan eyes red and spinning. Instead of looking away or fighting his older brother's gaze, he surrendered himself to his sibling's power. His frantic heart beat slowed and his breathing came easier as calm was projected over him.

"Now," Itachi commanded, "reverse these changes."

Sasuke wanted to cry that he didn't know how, but the enforced calm stilled his voice. Then, slowly, the gray tinge receded from his skin. In less than five minutes, his body was completely normal once more and Itachi broke his stare.

"How are you feeling?" his mother asked, now awake. She gently gripped his shoulders, her wounded arm moving stiffly. "Does anything hurt?"

"…No," Sasuke croaked, trembling all over. "What…what happened?"

Itachi began recounting events to him, but Sasuke could barely follow it. It sounded like a tall tale that grew more and more unbelievable with each sentence his brother uttered. Yet somehow it had to be true. Itachi wouldn't make something like this up.

"It'll be alright, Sasuke," his mother promised as she hugged him once Itachi was finished.

Sasuke couldn't imagine how, but he said nothing.

His mother and brother left shortly after that, saying that they would return in the morning. Left alone, he leaned back into his pillow and stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to wrap his mind around what had supposedly happened after his match down in the arena. But it only made his head hurt so he stopped thinking.

He lifted his now perfectly human hand in front of his face and studied it. The appendage looked like it always had…but with a little focus and willpower, it turned monstrous again. Numb, he shifted it back and forth several times before fisting it in the sheets and squeezing his eyes closed.

_What have I become?_

* * *

Kushina yawned and stretched as she sauntered out of the bathroom. It was very late and after a long, hard day of work it was time for bed. Now back in human form at last and dressed in a huge T-shirt and flannel pants she crept into the bedroom.

Minato was already passed out on the mattress. She'd been hoping to celebrate victory with him tonight but he'd almost fallen asleep in the shower. By the time that _she_ had showered he was so deeply asleep that she wondered if even the Kyuubi could wake him.

_Oh well, tomorrow night, then._

Flipping her long red hair over her shoulder, she switched off the lights and wormed under the sheets beside Minato. Snuggling with him until she felt comfortable she sighed in contentment and closed her eyes. While she waited for sleep, she let her thoughts wander.

_What a day… It sucked. But…I suppose it could've been worse._

_ I made it through alright. Minato did fantastic and kicked tons of butt. And Naruto made it through, although the poor kid probably won't have enough points to make chuunin._

_Mikoto's all beat up, but she's alive. Itachi's good but all stressed out over all the crap his dad's done and trying to fix it. Sasuke's okay, but…well, he will be okay, eventually, hopefully…_

_ So far Konoha isn't up in arms and out to kill Kitsune. Hopefully that won't change. I don't want to have to leave._

_ And then there's—_

The bedroom door creaked and there were the sounds of bare feet pattering over the floorboards. Kushina continued to feign sleep as she felt the mattress shift as a small body crawled onto it. The intruder squirmed and clawed his way between her and Minato underneath the sheets and then fell still. Her nose twitched at Naruto's scent and she smiled.

_He's a bit old to be sleeping with mommy and daddy, but…I'll let him get away with it this time._

As soon as her son's breathing slowed into sleep, she gently stroked his hair and felt her eyes tearing up a bit.

_This is how it was always supposed to be._

She moved her hand to grasp Minato's over Naruto's small sleeping form and sighed happily.

_Well…better late than never._


	61. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Uzumaki Mito strolled along Konoha's streets as the sun crept towards its zenith. The air was growing chilly and was filled with the sounds of shouted instructions, hammers pounding nails, and saws slicing wood. The invasion one month prior had left a lot of damage in its wake and the craftsmen and genin of the village were busy repairing it.

She wore her usual drab, simple clothing and as she shuffled along she drew no notice from the villagers that she shared the streets with. The civilians had no idea who or what she was and she was perfectly content with that. Few ninja noticed or knew her either, and that was also fine.

This was her last day in Konohagakure no Sato and she wanted no interruptions.

Her first stop was the Hokage Tower. She stopped under a tree across the open square from it and admired the massive structure. Gray eyes traced over the claw-topped tower, the red siding, the _kanji_ for "fire", and remembered a time when it was all just a dream, a sloppy sketch on scratch paper that might never be realized.

Turning her head, she could see the stone faces. There were so many more than there were the day that she had left the Leaf and ended her life as Senju Mito. It had been a little over two hundred and fifty years since the founding of the village and humans had short lives, especially ninja living in unsettled times, so she shouldn't have been startled by so many new Hokage's staring down at her. And yet a part of her was.

_It really has been a long time, hasn't it?_

Shaking her head, she moved on, taking a long and winding route through the village. She took care to visit the lands of each of the great clans so that she could take a moment and remember old friends and acquaintances long gone. And she also thought of how the places had changed and the new people that inhabited them.

In the beginning, when the clans had first gathered here, each clan kept to themselves in their own part of the embryonic village. It was the imprint of the end of the "Hidden Clans Era" where every ninja family was out for itself, fighting each other for land, work, and survival. They didn't completely trust each other back then and so kept concentrated for security and comfort.

It was different now. For many of the clans, there was no set boundary to where they lived. Yamanakas, Akimichis, Naras, Sarutobis, Senjus, and dozens of smaller clans could be found living side-by-side anywhere in the village. The Inuzuka and Aburame tended to live closer to each other, but only the Hyuuga and the Uchiha truly lived the same was as their ancestors had at the dawn of the Leaf.

The Hyuuga seemed static, completely unchanged from when Mito had last experienced them. They weren't any better, and they weren't any worse. That seal that Mito had never really liked was still used, unmodified. She understood the rationale behind its creation and use, but understanding didn't lead to liking. But perhaps with the way that the current clan head was dragging his heels on caging one of his daughters and confirming the other as his heir made her wonder if the Hyuuga's ironclad traditions might finally be bending.

The Uchiha were slightly worse if anything. She had hoped that after experiencing Madara's madness they would eventually mellow out after the sting of his shame had faded. But that had not been the case. Destroying the victims of the curse that their dishonored ancestor had brought to their land had become almost like a holy mission for them, an obsession.

_But now,_ she mused as she paused outside of the gates of the Uchiha District, _perhaps there is new hope for change._

After the invasion, the Uchiha had retreated to their district in some disarray. They were furious at the treatment of their leader and of the things that had been said about the Kyuubi. And they were frightened that they might lose their control over the Military Police and the mark that had been left on Fugaku's neck. But while most remained loyal to Fugaku and his view of things, some seemed to be gravitating to the heir, Itachi, and were being to question things.

A few days previously, Itachi had come and shared tea with her. The serious young man had wanted to know what she could tell him of his dreaded ancestor. He listened intently to all of her stories and never protested or argued, even when what she said contradicted what he had been taught. When he left, he even tried to apologize for what Madara had done.

_I think I like him,_ she decided as she moved on. _He's very serious, but he's open-minded. He isn't much like his father and he's __**nothing**__ like Madara. Perhaps he'll be able to bring down the Uchiha's walls and guide his clan down a less…zealous…path._

Thinking of Itachi and the Uchiha, her mind was inevitably drawn to the past and Madara. She'd never liked him, even when he'd been relatively stable and sane. She had never understood why Hashirama-kun had respected him so much or tried so hard to befriend the arrogant bastard. She hated him for all the mad things he'd done once his eyesight had started to fail, the curse that he'd brought and forced on others, and all the suffering he'd caused.

_Damn him and damn whatever ancestor of his might have possibly spawned the Kyuubi no Yoko!_

Forcing away the old surge of anger, Mito continued on her way and turned her thoughts to more pleasant subjects.

She thought of Tsunade, her descendant, and the meetings that they'd had. She felt some regret for how she'd almost tormented the blond woman to get her to return to Konoha, but there just hadn't been the time to try more gentle coaxing methods. Conflict was coming to the Leaf and she knew that Tsunade's legendary medical abilities would be needed.

But even if there hadn't been a need to find Tsunade, though, Mito would've sought her out. She was curious to see what had become of her branch of the Senju and it wasn't healthy or beneficial for Tsunade to run away from her wounds the way that she had been. Since the support of her teammate, Jiraiya, or the freedom granted by her old mentor, the Hokage, seemed enough to straighten her descendant out, Mito felt that it was her turn to try.

When Mito started giving Tsunade the explanations that she had promised, her descendant hadn't believed her. Mito had had to show her dozens of lost hidden passages, scrolls, and seals before the blonde woman had been able to accept her story. And then, understandably, she'd been less than happy with some of the implications of her tale.

_"So you're telling me that I'm part demon?"_

_ "After so many generations without any fresh infusion of Kitsune blood, you're just as human as any shinobi, Tsunade-chan."_

Her feet carried her through a peaceful park; the same one where she had observed the invasion. Many small children played on the playground equipment while their parents watched them, while couples and small groups strolled along the paths or enjoyed picnics by the side of the pond. Everyone sought to take a little time and enjoy the weather while it was still fair, but not all park-goers were happy.

Mito paused as her gray eyes landed on a black-haired boy huddled in the shadows at the base of a large tree. Young Sasuke looked profoundly unhappy as he watched younger children play without a care in the world. The fox woman found that she couldn't blame him one bit.

The theory was that since his curse mark had been active at the moment of Orochimaru's death, instead of it going permanently dormant like it had for the rest it remained at least partially active. The mark that had been the center of his curse was gone, leaving the supernatural energy that sparked his transformations to sit in his chakra coils just like it was thought to for werewolves. No one knew what the long-term effects on him would be, whether he could spread it by biting, or if any children he might father could inherit it, and so his future was murky and uncertain.

_Poor thing…_

It reminded her of her own struggle to decide whether or not she would bear children or adopt orphans after she'd married her husband so long ago. It had been dangerous enough to live so prominently within a village full of hunters out to exterminate her species. Birthing hanyou children would've blown her cover and probably would've led to a quick death. But, in the end, she had risked it—importing an Uzumaki midwife, excluding everyone else including her husband from the birthing room, and devising seals to brand her children (and later her grandchildren) with so that their demonic traits would never show.

As she watched the melancholy boy, a smile came to her face when she saw Uchiha Mikoto approach him and coax him into the sunlight and towards a picnic with Kushina and Naruto on a nearby hill.

_Have hope, young Sasuke,_ she silently advised as she started walking again. _Your future is uncertain, but not bleak. If you are strong, if you trust in your precious people, if you fight off your doubts…I believe you will be just fine!_

Her thoughts then shifted to her current favorite relative, Kushina. She was happy that the girl had made it through the battle, that she was reunited with her adorable son, and that she had her mate back. And she was also pleased that her brothers weren't causing her too much grief over her…unorthodox little family.

There was a brief twinge of guilt towards the boy—yet again she wished that she hadn't just watched him and thought of her long-dead children and grandchildren when he'd still lived in Uzushiogakure no Sato. At least he had found happiness here, though. It probably could've gone better for him, and he certainly could've done without the Uchiha's assassination attempt, but he was now an accepted part of Konoha's shinobi force. His future seemed promising and bright, and she hoped to see him again, maybe when he was older.

She personally had no trouble with the young vixen's chosen mate. Her little meeting with the infamous Namikaze Minato had been quite interesting and rather enjoyable. His open honest face, polite manners, and friendly nature had quickly dispelled any lingering fears that she'd harbored that he was anything like Madara. The information that he'd been able to share with her about werewolves had also been quite enlightening.

_I do hope he was able to get those leftover wolves from the invasion safely away,_ she thought as she browsed a few shops. _Those poor things deserve a chance. And what better place for them than with other lycanthropes?_

It was disappointing that it had taken so long for some of the mysteries surrounding werewolves to be revealed. And it was horrible that so many generations of humans had been acting under so many false assumptions—that so many victims of the curse had suffered and killed themselves when it hadn't been necessary. But now, she fervently hoped, things regarding werewolves would change at last, and for the better.

_And it's not just werewolves that are getting a more positive spin,_ she smiled as she checked some prices. _Kitsune are finally getting the benefit of the doubt. Hmm, I wonder if Hiruzen was serious about letting a Kitsune teach some demon-lore classes…_

The disguised vixen made a few purchases before continuing on to her final destination.

The current Hokage, she decided, was a good man. He was old and tired and more than ready to retire, but if he couldn't find a successor he could keep up his post for at least another decade before he _had_ to give it up. Mito idly wondered whether he would be able to persuade Jiraiya or Tsunade to take up the hat, or if he would find a way to get Minato into the position.

_A werewolf 'Kage…now that would be something!_

As she was about to bypass the Memorial Stones she noticed a small group of shinobi clustered there.

Hatake Kakashi stared at the black stone that bore the names of his lost teammates, his one visible eye unfocused in deep thought. Namikaze Minato stood nearby dressed in jounin gear instead of ANBU armor, his blue eyes flickering over all the names that he knew. And the white-haired Jiraiya waited a few feet back, watching the both of them solemnly.

"Well!" Jiraiya said suddenly as he strode forward and threw his arms around the younger men's shoulders. "I think we've been here long enough. Let's go get drunk!"

"It's the middle of the day," Kakashi pointed out blandly.

"You know I don't drink," Minato replied with a frown. "And I was going to meet up with Kushina and Naruto after lunch."

"Who cares what time it is?" Jiraiya snorted cheerfully. "And what are you afraid of, Minato? Think you're going to go mark some territory and howl at the sky?"

"_Sensei!_"

Mito swallowed a giggle and left down a half-forgotten trail.

_I do hope Minato-san gets around to formalizing his relationship with Kushina-chan. It would make her very happy. And if Kenjiro or any of her brothers decides to interfere, well…I'll just have to straighten them out for my dear great-great-grand-niece, won't I?_

It had once been a paved path, but many stones were now missing and parts of it were so overgrown the trail almost disappeared. Unruly bushes and low-hanging tree branches made the going challenging. But with her memory as her guide she followed it all the way to a small graveyard that had been swallowed by the forest.

With slow steps she weaved around tree trunks and stepped over toppled grave markers. Any gravestones that were still standing were badly weathered so that the characters chiseled into them were mostly illegible. And when she reached a dark gray stone leaning up against a fat tree trunk, she stopped and knelt.

Sorting through her earlier purchases she used a kunai to dig up a few ugly weeds on the grave and plant bulbs that would flower in the spring. She lit incense sticks and inhaled the aromatic smoke with a faint smile. Then she closed her eyes, prayed, and remembered…

_It was late autumn, the trees were all almost bare, and it was cold enough that the gray cloud overhead would probably produce snow. A young man, sixteen years old, dressed in black and red, with tanned skin, dark eyes, and long black hair, stood at the base of a dormant cherry tree. Sitting on a boulder not far from him was a girl about his age with pale skin, gray eyes, coppery red-gold hair done up in twin buns, and dressed in a fine kimono of green, black, and gold and patterned with leaves._

_ "I hate autumn," she pouted and snapped open a fan decorated with white spirals on a rich blue background. "Everything turns an ugly brown and dies."_

_ "The leaves turn such beautiful colors before they end, though," the boy said as he traced one hand over the cherry tree's dark bark. "For a little while, it's like all the trees are on fire."_

_ "But then they all go brown and fall off and the trees all look like skeletons!" she huffed, holding the open fan over the lower half of her face. "And then winter comes and it's even worse! It gets so cold and dark for so long, and sometimes it even snows!"_

_ "What about spring and summer?" he asked curiously._

_ "In summer it gets much too hot," she frowned and briefly fanned herself as if remembering a blazing heat wave. "But spring…spring is the best. Sometimes it's chilly and it can rain a lot…but there's all the birds singing, all the new babies, the new leaves, all the flowers…" She sighed wistfully and glanced at the barren tree her companion was touching. "I love flowers."_

_ He watched her for a moment before grinning. "Would you like me to make the sakura bloom?"_

_ "You can't make that tree bloom!" she laughed._

_ "Care to bet on that?" he challenged._

_ "Certainly!" she smirked. "I'd love to have a slave for a week!"_

_ "Well, prepare to become __**my**__ slave!" he boasted._

_ "Sure, whatever," she scoffed._

_ He ignored her and placed both palms on the tree trunk with an expression of deep concentration. For a moment, nothing appeared to happen. Then buds began to swell on the ends of twigs, a scattering a fresh leaves unfurled, and then countless delicate blossoms with pale pink petals opened, filling the chilly air with a sweet perfume._

_ "I win," the teenage boy declared smugly._

_ The girl was too busy gaping in wonder to reply._

A breeze tickled the back of Mito's neck like ghostly fingers and she opened her eyes again to stroke the rough surface of the gravestone with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, Hashi-kun," she whispered. "I don't mean to make you wait so long, but I promised you that I'd look out for your village for the rest of my life. I can't very well cheat to met up with you again sooner and properly honor that promise now, can I? So please, wait for me…I have so many new stories to tell you!"


End file.
